A bounty hunter's reward
by Zaith Falken
Summary: For a war veteran, a chance meeting with the love of his life is long past, but a great reward for a bounty is soon to come. Rated for later chapters !FINISHED with the last chapter! Please review.
1. Cassandra's old fighter pilot

"Michael, are you there?"

'The soft lull of the ocean came to my ear, the gentle motion of the wave moving back and forth on the beach. I stood there, in awe at the sight. The beach was a calm and soothing experience, and the warmth around the golden sand seemed to-'

"Michael, targets incoming!"

The A.I. of the ship began to scream madly into the ship, taking random action to avoid whatever the sensors picked up. I raised my head quickly from the digital pad that I was typing on, noting several ships in the distance.

"Cassandra, calm down! Take evasive action!"

"What do you think I've been doing here!"

Cassandra was the name of my A.I., which I programmed myself. Her voice was frantic from what her sensors were picking up. I looked at the radars and sonars, which were flashing red and green just below the glass window that kept space outside.

From what I could tell, there were three fighters in front of me, their weapons ready for an assault. A missile had already been fired towards me, though it was far from accurate. I wondered who could have shot so poorly was a missile like that, as most made these days had a heat seeking lock-on system for safety measures.

"Cassandra, can you identify who the enemy is?"

"There are three Space Pirate star fighters. There weapons are drawn, and their communication systems are currently offline. Michael, what should we do?"

"No radio, huh? They must be trying to do some sort of mission out here, or they wouldn't even bother with a ship like mine." I paused for a moment, checking my radar, as well as glimpsing through the window every few seconds. The ships seemed out of formation, and the lack of fighters showed that they must have been a rookie patrol. Usually, most Space Pirate patrols would have at least five fighters, and would usually find cover behind asteroids and floating debris from other ships. "Cassandra, put the ship into manual."

"If you say so." Responded a somewhat relieved A.I.

A joystick rose from underneath my legs, nestling itself in the position I preferred it to be. The design was that of one from an airplane from earth, and it was simple color wise, black all around with a red trigger and missile button. A black knob on both sides cycled the several missile type weapons I had on the ship, allowing me easy access to the dangerous payload of explosives I had gathered through the years. Large metallic pedals also rose beneath my feet, which I used as my yaw control.

"So, uh, what's the plan?"

"Don't sound so worried, Cassandra. I have everything under control."

"Great," Cassandra said sarcastically. I could understand why. The last time I said that, I ended up taking a pulse laser in the right wing. I only had enough time to backup Cassandra to a small PDA that I had with me in the escape pod. "Were going to die."

"No we're not. I'm just going to fly by the space pirates. If they fire, I'll take them out."

"Michael, I understand that you were a great fighter pilot from the war 20 years ago. But right now, it is not a great idea for you to go and piss off a patrol of Space Pirates, who could just order for more troops."

"Point taken. But still, I have a feeling today will be different. It's in my bones."

"Yep. We're going to die."

"Have some faith in me, Cassandra."

"I did once. Then the ship got blown up… for the first time."

"Yeah, yeah, I know." Some beeps and flashes came from the radar before me, showing signs of another missile being launched at me. "Great, no time for peace."

"Here we go again."

Slowly, I began to notice to trail left by the missile, which grew larger in my vision as it got closer. Soon, I could easily make it out. It was little more then a photon charge, which is strong enough to put a small ding in my ship, as well as tear off some paint. Just as I came to it, I tugged at the joystick and the yaw pedals at my feet, causing the ship to go into a barrel roll. The cloud of exhaust from the missile trailed across my window, though it lingered for a mere second. As for the missile, I passed it easily, and then continued forward to the space pirates.

"Cassandra, 65 thrust, please."

"No problem."

I could feel the extra thrust from the rear of the ship, the new pressure forcing me against the chair. Most people would find the pressure intolerable, but I simply endured it, forcing my body to pay attention to the visual art that was the galaxy.

Another photon charge was fired towards me, but the distance between them and myself allowed me to simply weave around it. The pirates' ships soon came into focus, and soon enough the radio silence was broken. "Surrender Immediately" was their message, and my response was shown through my disregard for their ships.

A fly by was in order, and I was glad to oblige the pirates with one. I flew just a yard or so above one of the three, my window over shadowing his own. Though the moment went quickly, I could see shock on the pirate's expression. The three immediately turned around and began to fire at me, though little came of it. I dodged their fire, and then turned and fired upon them.

I took these ships out easily. Two went down by missile fire, while the other I simply dismantled their weapons. I fired two heat-seekers to obliterate the two, which was simply overpowering. They ejected from the soon to be crispy space crafts, leaving only moments before their ships were destroyed. As for the other, I placed myself in a position were I could easily hit the ships laser weaponry. Once in the position, I gave Cassandra the word, and little more then a second later, two white beams shot forth, piercing the armor of the pirate's laser cannons.

After the simple battle, I continued onwards to my destination. Cassandra took over once again, and I went to type onto my digital pad once.

"You think they will be o.k. out there?" Asked a worried Cassandra.

My response was simple and short. There was no need for me to say more then necessary, as I was trying to write my story. "Yeah, they'll be fine."

"Aren't you even the slightest bit worried about them?"

"Well, I am sure the other pirate will pick up his comrades. Besides, why should I care, they attacked us, remember."

"I know, but still…"

"Cassandra…"

"Yes?"

"You worry too much."

"Well you're the one that made me."

"I know… Maybe I made you too well."

"Hey, don't say that!"

"Oh, don't be so offended. I was just kidding."

"Well don't say things like that."

"Alright. Well, I'm going back to my writing, ok."

"Ok."

Silence filled the ship once more, and the soft and gentle lull of my dreams came to my mind. My imagination raced as I recalled the thoughts I had earlier, and my writing continued at the pace I preferred, slow and steady. This was bliss in my mind, able to write and imagine all that I aspired to be, and all that I could ever imagine continued through my head.

"Michael?"

Cassandra's voice pierced my thoughts and brought me back to reality. "Yes," I said, responding to her asking question.

"Why is it that we are heading to Terra Firma?"

"I have a meeting with a client there. He wants to speak with me personally, instead of posting a bounty on the net."

"I wonder why he asked for you."

"No idea, but I'm taking you along, so you have some say in this one."

"Really, and how do you plan to do that one?"

"I'm taking you in my PDA. This way, you can hear the conversation live, and maintain the ships status while we are away."

"I see. Well then, I suppose you should get some sleep. We still have ten hours before we get there."

"Alright then, 'night Cassandra."

I rose from my chair and made my way to my quarters, which was just a short walk away. My bed was comfortable, and a shower was well equipped for enough showers to suit six people for two months, considering two showers a day, everyday.

Carefully, I sat down onto my bed, the dark velvet covers giving much ease to my aging body. I saw the electronic notice that came in the mail the other day. The packing was as inexpensive as the message itself, considering the price of most goods these days. I looked it over quickly once more, finding nothing different from the last time I checked it.

Afterwards, I began my daily ritual of changing out of my clothing. My night robes would soon come on, and once that was done, I would head to bed and get to sleep. This was the same every night, and the uniformity of it all seemed to fit right in this un-uniform ship. Tonight was no exception, and the sleep I soon acquired would bring joy to most people.


	2. Big Bounty

--- NOTE !!!

Edit: Changes - Just one word. The word FOUR towards the bottom of the page (in reference to the space pirates) was changed from the word SEVEN, for continuity purposes with my next work. Read FINDING SAMUS to understand (that is, when I'm finished with it.)

* * *

"Welcome to Terra Firma. Please, enjoy your stay."

The automated speaker voice was an unwanted welcome to me. I have been here before, and I never came here for any pleasantries. Like today, I came for one thing, another job.

I looked at my left forearm, inspecting the arm PDA that I had. Quickly, I searched it for the copy of the file that had been sent to me days before. I looked about the file for my destination, finding a small paragraph with it. 'Southern Horizon Inn, 4th and Central.' This was what the message said, and this was my destination.

"Michael, I don't think this is a good idea."

"You always say that Cassandra. Don't worry so much, everything will be fine."

"I sure hope so."

Cassandra's voice disappeared from the small earpiece I had, allowing me to hear all around me once more. I talked quietly to myself, or so it would appear to most people. Fortunately, insanity was misplaced by the A.I., as talking to one's self was now talking to your PDA or A.I.

I was outside the star port now, finding that it was still a breezy night here on Terra Firma One. The city was known as 'Tif one', as the creator of the city was very… original. This city was the smallest city among the three largest on this planet, but I still found the city gigantic. I had never found the time to travel the city, though I am sure I would scour the city if I did.

"Cassandra, how do I get to Southern Horizon Inn from here?"

"Hold on, I'll get a map from central intelligence right now."

Central intelligence, another galactic program I didn't care for. It was just an automated response that every planet had. True, it was helpful at times, but I still preferred to speak with people.

"Michael, just head down this road three blocks, then make a right and continue until you find 4th street."

"Sounds simple enough. How long will it take to get there?"

"About twenty minuets."

"In walking distance? Wow, its pretty close."

"Surprising, huh? Well we better get going if we want to meet the contact."

The time accuracy of this estimate was surprisingly good too. I made it to the inn in exactly twenty minuets. I stood in front of the inn now, finding a very expensive looking hotel. Slowly, I walked over to the main window of the hotel and looked in, and I could easily see a very large and expensive glass chandelier hanging just above a group of people in the center of the lobby. Large, rotating doors allowed people access to the hotel, and an automated voice bid the new members a fair welcome.

I moved into the rotating doors, and not a second after I made my way out through the doors, I could hear the message playing. "Please enjoy your stay," it said, though I didn't plan to stay for long.

Once inside, I noticed a lounge area just to my left. The lounge was dimly lit, giving an aura of relaxing quiet. A small plasma screen played the nightly news in the far corner, and though I wasn't in the room, I could tell it was very quiet. I moved into the lounge and sat down on a stool by the long bar. A golden light lit up the bottles behind the bar, and a single human wearing a white shirt, bow tie, and black pants stood behind the bar, cleaning a glass mug with a white rag.

"Can I help you?"

The man's voice seemed quite young, making him seem to be in his twenties. 'He must have noticed me as I sat down,' I thought, looking into the man's eye.

"You serve a double mocha frappuccino?"

"Sure, just give me a second."

The bartender pulled out a large blending cup, and soon a few more objects. Ice soon came into the cup, as well as some coffee, and a few shots of a dark substance, my guess liquid mocha. Afterwards, the bartender kneeled down and placed the cup into a hidden object. Little sound came afterwards, though my ears picked up a very quiet whir. Metallic blades were spinning just where the bartender had placed the cup, giving me the impression that there was a silent blender just under the bar. These were common these days, and though a hi-tech microphone could not pick up the sound, or lack of it, coming from the blender, I could. This form of increased hearing is just something I have picked up over the years, and something most people would never understand.

The silent blender stopped, and the bartender then poured the blended drink into a mug that he retrieved from under the bar. He then poured two spiral shaped shots of mocha into the mug, and the pushed it across the bar to me.

"Here it comes, sir."

The bartender's notation was informative, but unnecessary. I let the mug slide into an open hand, stopping it in its tracks. "Thanks," I responded, giving him a nod, and a large tip on the bar. The bartender then moved over to me and picked up the galactic credits I left him (in the form of three small digital cards with $1000 notations on them). Upon inspecting the creds I left him, he seemed shocked, which is understood, considering a single frappuccino wasn't even enough to break a twenty.

"Uh, sir, I can't take this."

"Don't worry about it; I'm sure you've earned it."

"But sir, this is-"

"Kid, don't look a gift horse in the mouth."

"Alright, well I'll just give you another for the tip. On the house of course."

"Sure kid."

The bartender pulled out the same blending cup once again, as well as a straw for me. He placed the straw down by my hand, and then went to work on the second frappuccino. I took the straw and placed it into my drink. I did little more then that, as I started to look about the room. There was one other person in the room. He sat in the far corner under the screen, his head stuck in his arms. I take it he was drunk and passed out, though I decided to ask the bartender to make sure.

The bartender returned to me, bearing yet another frappuccino. I looked at him and asked my question.

"Young man, can you tell me about the man under the screen."

"Oh, Mr. Mitchell. Yeah, he has been here since yesterday. He told me he was staying for the week, and since he is the owner of Grunder industries out in the Celta sector, I'm sure he has some business to take care of here at Tif one."

"Grunder huh? I suppose there is no need for me to know him." I looked back at Mr. Mitchell, who was still out cold from his drink. "What happened, he got drunk and passed out?"

"Exactly. I told him he shouldn't have had that last tequila, but he wouldn't have it. He gave me a nice tip, though it wasn't anywhere near yours. Speaking of which, where are you from? I haven't seen someone dressed like you in years."

"I don't really have a home."

"Then what do you do for a living?"

"I'm a bounty hunter."

"You! A bounty hunter!"

"Yeah. What of it."

"In the last three years, I've seen bounty hunters come and go, but I have never seen one give me a tip like you did."

"Not surprising. But I fought in the last war twenty years ago, so the Galactic Federation gives me a pension every year. A big one too."

"What were you, a colonel?"

"No, just your average fighter pilot who got stranded behind enemy lines."

"Really? Those Belkans must have treated you horribly. I heard most of the captured didn't survive the torture camps they had."

"Yes well, that was the first time. Off course, I eventually escaped and started dealing death like a professional. Hell, I even got a medal for it."

"Michael, you shouldn't tell your life story like that."

I ignored Cassandra's comment. Though she had a point, there was no need to worry; this was the obvious truth that I didn't care for. Besides, it would be kinda hard for someone to blackmail me with that info, there was no secret plot behind it.

"I see. Well, if you have the money, then why do you wear those antique clothing from Earth?"

"Simple, it's more comfortable then the current day clothing that most people wear."

"But sir, its jeans, a t-shirt, and a brown leather jacket you are wearing."

"Hey, I like it, and that's all that matters."

I smiled at the bartender's confusion at my choice of clothing. But it was true; these clothes were a lot better then the skin tight garbage that was produced these days. Besides, my muscular body was more then enough to make me look thirty again.

I heard footsteps coming past me. They were quiet and gentle, giving me the impression of someone in one of the jump suits most people wear when they go into space. The footsteps continued for a bit, but they stopped next to me, and soon a person sat down, a single seat between us.

"Can I help you, ma'am?"

"Bahama mama please."

"Coming right up."

The bartender went right to work on his order, but that was of little concern to me. I quickly began to guzzle the frappuccino in front of me, all the while taking a quick glimpse of the woman next to me. She had long blonde hair, and a full, lush body under a blue full body jumpsuit. And though I know I am a bit old, I must say, she is very attractive.

My glimpse was soon cut short, as I soon noticed that the lady was checking me out as well. Our eyes crossed, and embarrassment decided to take over our minds. There was a small giggle coming from the lady, while I gave a quiet snort, trying to contain my laughter. I noticed a hint of red upon her cheeks, and the warm sensation on my cheeks gave away the reddish tint I tried to hide many times.

"Here you go ma'am. That's 13 creds."

"Alright, just let me…"

There was a pause as the young lady reached for her small pocket book. Unfortunately, there was no pocket book to be found. One word could be heard in my ears, though the lady only mouthed the word. "Shit," was the word, though it mattered little. I just silently laughed it off.

"It's on me," I said, nodding to the bartender. He nodded back, and then went to the far end of the bar, where he picked up the mug from before and continued to clean it with the rag.

"Uh… Thanks," said the young lady. I looked into her blue eyes, noticing a young, but fiery spirit in her.

"No problem. If you want another just tell him it's on me."

"Michael, stop hitting on her. She is too young for you."

"Ma'am, can you excuse me for a second?"

"Sure."

I turned away from the young lady, and then quietly spoke to the PDA on my arm.

"Shut up."

"Fine, whatever."

I turned back to the lady, and started to speak with her again.

"Sorry about that."

"Why were you talking to yourself?"

"Wait, you heard that?"

"Yeah."

"I see. Well I wasn't talking to myself, but to a friend of mine."

"Really, and who is this friend of yours?"

"Her name is Cassandra."

"Cassandra?"

"Yes, Cassandra. She is the A.I. for my ship."

"I see. So what is it that she said?"

"Cassandra told me to not hit on you."

The young lady began to laugh aloud, though the sound was kept to a bare minimum. I joined a little in the laughter, though barely. "That's a good one," were the only words she could muster while laughing.

Just then, I felt a tap on my left shoulder. I look around, finding a man about forty five standing. He nodded gently, signifying that he wanted to speak with me. He then went on to tap the young lady on the shoulder as well, who slowly stopped laughing and looked over. The man nodded, and then began to walk to one of the stalls against the wall behind me.

The young lady and I stood up with our drinks and followed the man. He sat into one end of the stall, the seats giving him the comfort he desired. I allowed the young lady to sit down before me, and I followed her to the seat across from the man. Just as I placed my drinks down, the man began to speak to us.

"I take it the two of know each other already."

The young lady responded before I did, saying, "No, we just met."

"I see," said the man. "The sir here is Michael Lindel, one of many heroes in the Belkan war twenty years ago. The young lady is Samus Aran, the young lady who destroyed the Space Pirate base about four years ago."

We looked over at each other, our eyes crossing for a moment, and then quickly looking each other up and down once more. After a quick look, we looked back at the man, and then spoke at once,

"You're kidding."

"No, I am not. I asked you two for a reason. I have a job here, and although you two are very well known in your line of work, this job will require more then one person."

"So, what do… We, have to do?" I said this, trying to find out why we were here. I almost said I for a moment, but I managed to catch myself and instead said we.

"The Space Pirates have apparently established a base on planet Eigen. Their base is inside a frozen wasteland, where a major battle of the Belkan war took place. Michael, you were shot down there once and had to take orders from command while on foot, correct?"

"Yes, I had to deal a decisive blow to their command center by planting explosives by the power generators they had."

"Good. The Pirate base is the same base as the one you attacked years ago. The fortifications have been strengthened, but our intelligence indicates that most of the base is similar to that of the one you and the federation soldiers destroyed years ago."

"Then why do you need me?" Samus's Question seemed to be in the right place. After all, the current description of the mission seemed to indicate that only I was truly needed.

"We at the federation have been through the many reports you have filed about the Space Pirates. We feel that you are more then a match for them, but Michael has never had to deal with Space Pirates in close quarters."

I cut into the conversation, adding a bit of unknown information to the table. "That's not entirely true. I had to fend the Pirates from raiding a friendly ship I was escorting about five years ago. Fighting got ugly, and when they boarded, I managed to fight them off, as well as destroy the boarding equipment they had."

"I see, well then the odds of this mission have just increased."

Samus raised her voice this time. Her voice seemed somewhat worried this time, and her question was well placed. "I have a question though. If this is a simple base destruction mission, then why hire the two of us?"

"Well, our intelligence has led us to believe that the Space Pirates are building some sort of weapon at that base. Unfortunately, one of the automated scouts we sent was shot down, so we could not get accurate details on the weapon. We believe it to be some sort of hi-tech laser cannon capable of firing upon planets and ships from a greater distance then the laser weaponry we currently use."

"So basically, this is a mission to keep the Federation superior to the weapons of the Space Pirates, correct?"

"You are correct, Michael. The truth is, there are few people we can trust to get this mission done. It will be dangerous, and if worse comes to worse, we may have to destroy the planet before the Pirates can use the weapon on us, or any other planet."

"Actually, blowing up the planet may just be the better of any plan at the moment."

"You may be right, Michael. But right now, current galactic policies keep us from doing that unless it is the last resort in a dangerous war. This is all the information we have on this, so the question now is whether you will accept."

"I'll do it." Samus seemed completely wrapped into the mission, while I was still on the edge. True this mission may help the universe, and right now I wasn't worried about the money, but I did feel a bit threatened for my own life.

"HEY, HOW MUCH ARE WE GOING TO GET PAID!"

I was shocked by Cassandra sudden outbreak. My tone with her was somewhat angry. "Cassandra, keep it down!"

"Who is that?" asked the man, who began to mess with the collar of his shirt. Apparently he didn't like being confined to a suit and tie.

"Uh, this is the A.I. for my ship. I call her Cassandra."

"I see. Well, I suppose she does have some say if she is programmed like that." The man paused for a moment, as he began to clear his throat. Afterwards, he began to speak again, now ready to talk. "You two will be paid five million galactic credits each."

"FIVE MILLION!"

These words quickly escaped from both Samus and Cassandra.

"Cassandra, it's a lot of money, but please keep it down. Sir, My A.I. and myself will take the job"

"I will also take the mission. Now how do we contact you when we are done?"

"Simply come back here within two weeks. Otherwise, we may nuke the planet."

"Alright, then we'll be on our way." After saying this, I quickly chugged both glasses of Frappuccino, though a quick cold shivered through my body. Samus did the same with her Bahamamama. Afterwards, I walked to the bar and placed my glasses onto the bar. Samus did the same, and then followed me out of the inn.

"Well, I guess we should get going."

"Yeah…"

Samus was somewhat quiet during the walk to the space port. She seemed very involved with the mission, as she looked quite serious already.

"Is something wrong?"

"Well, I better ask anyway. Do you mind if you give me ride to my ship?"

"Didn't you park it in the port?"

"I never do. It's safer for me to simply leave it space with autopilot while I stay on the planet."

"Alright, no problem."

"Hey, what did I say about hitting on her, Michael."

"I'm not hitting on her, Cassandra."

I could hear Samus chuckling next to me. She must have found that very funny.

"You know, you two sound like an old married couple."

"Very funny, Samus."


	3. Bar of Soap

"Alright, Michael, I'm on my ship. I'll follow you now."

"Ok. It'll be a few hours until we reach Eigen, so be prepared for a long nap."

"Well then, I'll just turn on my autopilot for now."

"Good. I'll do the same over here, so don't worry about a thing. Cassandra is a better pilot most of the time, but she is no where near as good as me in combat."

"I'll take your word for it."

My ship was out of orbit now, and Samus had just returned to her ship. I had to lend her a space suit though, as the bridge connectors for our ships didn't match. I was alone again… sort of, considering that Cassandra was always there, but never in a physical form.

"Cassandra, take over will ya."

"No problem. Setting course for planet Eigen now."

After Cassandra's short response, I stood up from the pilot chair and walked into my room. Slowly, I moved over to my bed and sat down. Some time passes, and with little else to do and my back starting to ache, I decided to lie down. I now gazedat the ceiling, which wasof a gunmetal color,andthe simplicitydid little to stimulate me.

I felt my eyes drop down slightly, the darkness of sleep coming over me. In response, I shot right up, looking for something to do.

"I guess I am getting old."

It had only been a few hours since I had woken up earlier, but I suppose my age was to blame for this sudden tiredness. I was going to be kicking fifty in two years, so maybe I am getting old for this line of work.

"Michael, are you alright?" asked Cassandra through the speakers.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Why, is something wrong?"

"I was just wondering why you just went to your room all of a sudden."

"What of it, Cassandra?"

"Well, usually you start working on that book of yours. And besides, you going to sleep so early just isn't you."

"Good point… I don't know, it's probably just age. Anyway, I'm going to be taking a shower now. Tell me if anything happens, alright?"

"Sure."

I stood up once more, and then headed into the rest room. My towel was hanging next to the shower stall, so I didn't need to worry about grabbing it later. I quickly stripped down, turned on the hot water, and took a very relaxing, and apparently much needed shower.

* * *

"What's with that guy? He's not like any of the other bounty hunters I've met before. He seems too… generous…"

I began to wonder what he was like. 'On the outside, he looked like a physically fit, brown haired man. He looked good too, especially considering his age. He has to be at least 42, as the end of the war was twenty years ago, and if he was eighteen when he joined the military, then he would have had to been in for at least four years, as the Eigen invasion didn't take place until the end of the war.'

"He must have his reasons for being a bounty hunter. But I don't think I should trust him too much. After all, there are bounties on my head, considering the Space Pirates, and various other want me dead."

'Ah what am I talking about, I shouldn't prejudge people before I even know what they really are like.'

I stood up from my chair and went into the small room that I used as a shower room. I moved in front of the sink, and found myself staring into the glass mirror, one that had to replace yet another broken mirror. My blonde hair shined in the light that came from the ceiling, and my face seemed to radiate with a golden glow. The light was dim, as I usually preferred it that way. True, I liked my fair share of sunlight and warm beaches, but as a bounty hunter, I had more important things to do. I looked into my eyes, seeing the blue orbs looking back. I could almost feel myself tremble when I saw them. It was as though a demon had been harbored inside of me, and I was powerless to stop its growth. "Why did I have to be the one? Couldn't someone else do it?"

I could see the bags under my eyes begin to build up. It had been about two days since I had slept, as the autopilot had been malfunctioning. Fortunately, I fixed it just before I went to Terra Firma.

"Maybe I should just take a shower. Yeah, that's a good idea. Then I can go get some sleep, while Michael takes care of flying."

I began to unzip the jumpsuit I was wearing, peeling the zipper down from the front of the collar, and pulling it all the way down to the lower portions of my stomach. I then pulled the blue suit off of my shoulders, and then proceeded to take it off completely. Now standing in just my bra and panties, I could feel the chilled air of the ship travel around my body.

"Gees, I should raise the temperature in here."

I moved over to the shower stall and opened the glass door. Inside, I found the tiled room, the shower head, and the knobs for hot and cold water. I turned the warm water far to the left, while just turning the cold knob a bit to the right. This was how I usually had my water, warm and a lot of it.

Time passed for a bit, and an eerie silence came to the ship. Save for the sound of the ships thrusters, there was little else to be heard. I shifted my weight to my left leg, and as I did, I heard my feet peel off of the floor. It was like my feet had been frozen there, though there was no pain.

Steam started to rise from the shower, and my mind started to realize that it was time for me to get in there. I took off my bra first, revealing my bare, and slightly tanned breasts. I felt the cold even more now, and my body adjusted by making my nipples erect. 'Stupid nipples,' I thought, swearing at myself for being so feminine. Afterwards, I took off my panties and tossed them to the side.

Once done away of all clothing, I opened the door to the shower stall once more and walked in. I enjoyed the feeling of water splashing onto my skin. My hair began to swim in the steam, and I instantly began to feel refreshed.

Moments later, I realized something else and rushed out of the shower.

"SHIT THAT'S HOT!"

And boy was it. I looked back at the knobs, and through the steam, I could tell that the hot water was turned all the way to the left.

"Damn, now I have to go back in and cool it down."

With few other choices, I dashed back into the shower and turned the cold farther to the right, so as to combat the hot water. Feeling the steaming water crash onto my skin, I tried to run out of the stall. Unfortunately, I was stopped by a simple bar of soap and fell to the floor. The steaming water continued to pummel my skin, and I could not escape it. The soap had stopped me in my tracks, but I quickly got a hold of the brass seal that kept the water from leaving the shower. I pulled myself out, and just as I did, I felt the cooler water begin to hit my legs.

"Damn bar of soap."

I shut the door, this time ready for a better shower then that of a few seconds ago. I grasped the white wash cloth that was hanging in the stall, and with soap in hand, I began to clean myself up.

* * *

I stepped out of the shower, feeling somewhat refreshed. With the towel around my waist, I moved forward into my room. The air was as I had programmed Cassandra to leave the room at. It was warm and a tad muggy, though very comfortable.

Carefully, I went to the dresser that I had in the room, where most of my… personal garments were. Needless to say, I changed into some undergarments, and then went on to put on a pair of sweat pants and a grey shirt that I used as my sleeping clothes.

Afterwards, I felt a bit energized, so I decided to head into the small gym area I had towards the rear of the ship.

I walked out of my room to head to the gym, and just as I pivoted, I was hailed by a familiar voice.

"Feeling better, Michael?"

"Much, thank you. Now if you'll excuse me, I'll be heading to the gym for some exercise."

"O.k. then, be careful."

"I will. Oh and Cassandra, please try to maintain a smooth flight path. Just because there is artificial gravity doesn't mean I don't notice all the sudden bumps we take."

"Alright, then the flight shall be as gentle as can be."

I continued on my path to the gym room, which led me down the main hallway. I generally just used it as a lounge, though there were many uses for the hallway. First and foremost, it was a hallway, and the chairs in it served as a comfortable escape to the usual leather chair I used in the cockpit. Also, there was a hidden bed in the wall to my left, so it doubled as another room. This hallway also leads to another bedroom for quests, which was stocked with its own bathroom, and lies just across the gym room. And lastly, the hallway could be used as a spare cargo room. It was wide enough to fit several crates of goods in it, though I tried to refrain from doing so, as I did have a cargo hold just under this hallway. The stairs to the cargo hold are currently sealed off for 'in-flight purposes', but when the ship is in orbit, the stairs will rise just to my right, in the corner that separates my room from the hallway.

The gym area was a simple room in itself. As a gym, one could obviously expect to find heavy weights, a bench press, and many of the other heavy lifting machines. Medicine balls and other exercise tools could also be found here, but I was quite fond of the pull up bar.

Pull ups aren't my favorite activity in the room, but I know I need those muscle skills later. As a bounty hunter, I often found myself in situations where I would have to scale wall, climb onto rafters, and hike long ladders. And though my legs and chest muscles were important, I liked to keep my biceps and triceps in the best of shape.

Today was no exception, as the first thing I did was the under hand arm pulls. Three sets of ten ensued at the beginning, and each set was followed by a set of push up followed by a set of crunches. Repeat for the sets of overhand pull ups, and another set of both. And with sixty over hand and under hand pull ups, as well as a hundred and twenty push ups and crunches, my body was starting to sweat already.

However, I still felt that I had plenty of energy left in me, so I continued onto the machines. First, I went to the bench press, where I found that I had left about a hundred and eighty pounds worth of weights on the rack. Although somewhat glad I had left them on from my last work out, I was annoyed that I didn't put them back at first. My thoughts quickly turned to the matter at hand though, as I quickly began to push the weights from my chest, into the air, and then repeat. This went for three sets of ten repetitions, so I decided to tire myself out before I finished. Of course, that hasn't happened in a long time, as I can at least bench 450 with all the workouts I have done over the years.

Time passed, and soon my sweat drenched body was done for the day. I had worked most, if not all of the muscles in my body, giving myself a nice boost of sleepiness. I know I felt tired as a rock at the moment, though I was smart enough to know that when we arrived at Eigen, I would be energized enough to do the whole mission over some long hours.

But for now, I felt that I needed another shower. And trust me I did; by this time, I was sweating like a mule, and I probably smelt like one too. With sleep starting to come to me, I decided to hit up my shower for a few minuets, and then pass out on my bed. And in that order I did. I didn't even spend five minuets in the shower, I just needed a quick rinse, and then off to a new set of clothes and the dream world.

* * *

The warmth of my shower had already left the seemingly frozen cockpit of my ship. At this moment, I had raised the heating of the ship to about seventy degrees, so the ship was starting to get better. But the current chill in the room did not help me, as I wore only a large white t-shirt and the pair of regular panties that I had worn for some odd years now.

I was lying down in my cockpit chair, finding little solace in it. It was cold and leather, and though spacious, I wish that it was more comfortable. Even with the heat on, the leather still felt out of place, and cold hearted. The chair was built for me to sit in it with my armor, not sleep on it with little more then a piece of cloth between me and it.

"I suppose this is my life… There's little I can do about it right now."

'Maybe I could ask Michael to crash at his ship for a bit… Nah, I shouldn't. That would be wrong. And besides, what if he is a pervert?'

I slapped myself, trying to shake some sense to me. "What am I thinking," I said, trying to yell at myself. "And why do I talk to myself? Normal people don't do that."

'Am I normal? I haven't exactly been normal since… ever. Why should I care if I talk to myself? Is it wrong to talk to myself?"

"Why do I care?"

'I should care. What if I ever wanted to be normal, or maybe fell in love with someone and settled down? I would have to change right? Change into someone… else. I couldn't be Samus Aran, famous bounty hunter. I would have to be Samus something or another Aran, homely house wife. And if I ever did change like that, I would hate it. I love to explore and run around in the wild. I love the thrill of the hunt, no matter how much I hate it. It's what I am good at, and I can even help people doing it too.'

There was a dull roar coming from beneath the control panels in front me. The heat was slowly starting to pour into the room, giving my body some ease from the frozen wasteland of the room.

'But when I get old, what will I do? I won't be able to do all these things anymore, simply because my body will be too weak to do it. I would get hurt, and maybe even die some painful death by some monster on one of those planets out there. Or maybe I would get killed by some asshole of a space pirate. By then, I wish I could be married, so that I wouldn't have to live this way anymore. I'm tired of being a bounty hunter.'

"But…"

'Yeah, but… Are there no words that could ever change my mind? Right now, I can help people, and later I want to settle down. But who would want me? Who even knows me, and not just by name? There is no one out there that knows me like that. Why? Why is it that I just can't find a guy I can open up to? Sure there are some really good looking people out there, but they aren't good people on the inside. Some beat their wives and kids, others are mean and money hungry. Some are even rapists looking for another thrill. And those are the people I hate. I can't stand people like that. I just want to find a guy who can make me happy, and is truthful and honest, and kind and gentle.'

"Maybe I expect too much. Maybe that's why I can't find a decent man."

'Is that the truth? Is it because everyone thinks I'm too high maintenance? These are the basic ideals most people are taught to strive for, yet these people are the ones left behind in the world. To succeed is to be ruthless in every aspect of life, and to fail is to be too compassionate for your own good.'

"I think too much."

'Maybe so, but I'm still here. Does that mean there is still hope for me? I… I want the answers. I'm tired of being left in the dark. I'm tired of having to hurt people and travel to new worlds, just so that I can live. Why do I have to be the one that is left behind, when I am the one helping out everyone else? Why can't someone else be left behind?'

"Why?"

Tears began to roll down my cheeks. They were not something I expected, though I cared little for them. I did not care if I cried, I barely even noticed it. My life was torment enough to me. Sometimes I wished I would just die, so that I could just disappear from this world.

'If only I could not be Samus Aran, even for a minuet. I could have the best of lives, living with the rich and wealthy, able to just want everything away. I could have someone do everything for me, and I could have a good husband and… No, that life doesn't really exist. At least, not for me. There is no one who would love me enough to think I deserve those kinds of things. I'm just going to be Samus Aran, the bounty hunter who defeated the space pirates. And when I get old, I'm still going to be alone. And then I'm going to die, and no one will care. I'll just be some corpse in an orange ship, or a corpse in a robot suit. Why would anyone care about me? Why?'

"Why?"


	4. Lifelike AI

"Michael, wake up."

"Huh, wha?"

"Get up, Michael, we're almost at Eigen."

"Oh, right. I'll be at the cockpit in a minuet."

"Well hurry up, we have about an hour till we're within orbit."

I quickly rose from bed, and then rushed over to the cockpit. "Cassandra, patch me through to Samus," I said, just as I sat into my chair.

"Hailing Samus now."

A visual message saying "hold please" popped onto one of many screens currently in front of me. A few minuets went by, but no response came from Samus. I waited a bit more, but nothing.

"What is she doing, sleeping?"

Just then, the screen changed in colors. Now instead of a flashing message, I saw a young lady in a white t-shirt lying down in a large leather chair. And not only did she wear a t-shirt,Samus hadmoved around a bit during her sleep, so now I could see a pair of white panties. With this in sight I gasped (actually I said "WHAT THE HELL!"), and then covered my eyes with my hands.

"SAMUS, WAKE UP AND PUT SOME CLOTHES ON!"

I guessed she had hit the message acceptance button on accident, which easily revealed a large portion of her half naked body to me.

"Huh, what is it?" Samussaid, groggy from her sleep. I'm amazed though, as she had to been sleeping for at least ten hours.

"Samus, we have a mission to do, remember?"

"Wait, your Michael, right?"

"Yes, Samus. And you're HALF-NAKED!"

"Wait, OH MY GOD, YOU PERVERT!"

"I'M NOT EVEN LOOKING AT YOU! Look, just get dressed, and we can worry about this crap later. We have an hour so hurry up, ok. We don't have all day."

After this interesting conversation, I pressed the off button for the screen. Then, I stood up, and hurried back to my room. Now in my room, I hurried over to the bathroom, quickly stripped down, and started to take a shower.

"Michael, Samus is hailing us, should I patch her through?"

"Sure."

"MICHAEL, WHY THE HELL DIDN'T YOU WAKE ME UP EARLIER! AND YOU PERVERTED-"

"Cassandra, please put Samus on mute, and then tell her I'm busy at the moment showering."

"Are you sure this is the-"

"Don't argue with me on this, just do it!"

"Alright…"

Once done with my quick shower, I rushed to my dresser, where I reached into the second drawer, and pulled out a tank top. Then off came the towel and one came a pair of black socks and black briefs. Afterwards, I went to my closet, and then put on one of several black jeans, and black long sleeve shirt (which I rolled up to my biceps), and then I placed the leather jacket onto my shoulder so that I could put it onto my chair later.

Afterwards, I put on my boots and then headed into the bathroom for a second. Once inside, I grabbed my comb and started straightening out my hair. It was shoulder length right now, and considering that I had just showered, it wasn't too hard a job. I just had to make sure there were no knots from when I was sleeping, but thatwas soontaken care of.

Now with my hair dealt with, I quickly brushed my teeth, flossed, mouth washed, did my "business", washed my hands, and then headed to the cockpit. I assure you, all this only took about five minuets, and including the clothing change and the hair combing. Relatively quick for a guy my age, though I have had practice.

"Michael, she's hailing us again. Should I-"

"Fine, whatever."

"Michael, I seriously doubt we should ever work again. If your going to keep being perverted and-"

"Now hold on a minuet Samus. I was not being perverted when I tried to wake you up. You must have hit the accept button with your toe, and it is not my fault that you decided to sleep in nothing more then a t-shirt and panties."

"Wait, you saw my panties?"

"Yes, and not by choice. I can't exactly help it you have you legs open like you want to get fucked or something."

"WHAT?"

"Listen, I'm just digging myself a bigger grave. Can we stop talking about this?"

"Fine…"

"I see your wearing your robot suit there."

"It's called a Varia Suit, though I wouldn't expect a pervert to know that."

"Oh shut up about it. I saw you, said oh my god, and then covered my face."

"Are you saying I'm ugly?"

"No, I'm saying that you were half naked, and since I'm an old fogy, I tried to be polite and stop looking."

"Well, you are still a… Wait, did you just call yourself an old fogy?"

"Yes."

"Why?"

"Simple, I'm almost fifty."

"You're kidding?"

"No, I'm not. Right now I'm forty eight."

"Wow."

"What do you mean, wow?"

"Well, you look like you are maybe in your early thirties, but I suppose you did fight in the Belkan war, so you could have been in your early forties."

"Well I'm old."

There was an eerie silence that followed after I said that. It must have been awkward for me to just suddenly reveal my age, so I suppose it was to be expected. The dull roar of the engine gave the only acknowledgement of life in either of our ships, giving me the impression that Samus was not truly at her chair, rather then what I saw on the screen.

"Michael, Samus, we are approximately thirty minuets from Eigen."

"Thank you for the update, Cassandra."

My voice seemed almost distorted as I said that. It was as though I hadn't truly said those words, even though I know it was from my lips. 'Maybe I was hallucinating.'

"Michael…" 

"Yes Samus?"

"I…. I'm sorry."

"You're sorry? For what?"

"For assuming."

I brushed my right hand through my hair, gently combing through the long strands of brown. I rested my hand onto my head for a moment, covering a piece of my face from Samus. A weird little smile came onto my face, as though I were amused from Samus's apology. "It's alright. Besides, you know what they say about assuming. It makes an ass out of you and me."

"Very interesting. We should start planning for our mission soon. After all, we only have an hour."

"Forty five minuets and counting,"said Cassandra, who interuprted our conversation.

"Thank you, Cassandra," said a somewhat annoyed Samus.

"Actually, if what our clients said about the base the Space Pirates rebuilt was true," I said, continuedthe conversation,"then I already know an excellent way to get in."

"Really, how so?"

"Well, when I went in there twenty years ago, there was an unguarded cave route that led underneath the base. It ends about seven miles east of the base, where you would come through a couple of bushes, just a few yards from a deep ravine. I suggest we start our search there."

"Alright, but what if the cave if blocked, what then?"

"I'm not too sure, Samus. We could try going through the front door, guns blazing. I don't think we would last that long, but it's an idea."

"So I take it there isn't another way in?"

"Well, there is the western wall. But that's almost impossible."

"It might be worth investigating. What's so special about it?"

"Well, from the outside, the wall looks impossible to climb. First, you would have to climb about forty feet worth of dirt, which goes almost vertical. After that you would have to find a way to climb a fifty foot steel wall, but by the time you would get up there, there's a probable chance a guard would catch you. But, maybe if we… Nah, it probably isn't there anyway."

"What, something else?"

"Back during the war, there use to be an enormous tree by that wall. It was a bit old though, so climbing it was dangerous. But, if one could scale it to the top then hook themselves to the wall, they could easily jump to the wall without being noticed. Only problem was climbing it, as the branches would usually break as you went higher up."

"So right now we have three plans. One, we storm the base. Chances of survival, slim. Plan two, we go into a cave and hope the pirates didn't block it off. And three, we climb a tree, followed by a hike up the wall."

"Well, unless we call in an air strike from the galactic federation, there isn't a whole lot else we can do."

"I suppose your right."

"We'll just have to seewhat happens when we get there."

"We will arrive at Eigen in twenty minuets."

"Thank you, Cassandra."

"Michael…"

"Yes Samus?"

"Why does Cassandra sound so… life-like?"

"Well, I made her about sixteen years ago, just four years after the war. I was feeling lonely, flying alone as a Bounty hunter, so I just made an A.I. capable of understanding most human emotions."

"That seems like a lousy reason."

"Well… I did model her voice based off of a voice message that some one left me a few years ago."

"Really? Whose voice was it?"

"An old friend."

"Just a friend?"

"No… We were closer then that… But she isn't here now."

"What do you mean?"

"She died several years ago."

"During the war?"

"I think I've said enough about myself."

* * *

I saw Michael rise from his chair and begin to walk away from the screen.

"Michael, wait."

I tried to grab his attention, maybe bring him back to the screen. I was curious about this lady that he spoke of, and I was curious to know more about him. He seemed to be a much deeper man then I first expected, giving me the impression that he has been through a lot in the years.

My attempt to stop Michael worked, as I could see him freeze by the wall that led to the hallway. His head was tilted downwards, and his hair covered every inch of face I could have possibly seen.

"What is it Samus?" His voice seemed tired and heartbroken, as if I had brought him bad memories.

"I… I want to know."

"Know what?"

"About you."

"About me…"

"Yeah, about you."

"Why?"

"Because… I…"

Michael was silent. He was waiting for me to answer him, though my words would not come.

"I… I'm alone."

"Alone?"

"Yes. I'm a bounty hunter, like you. But I don't have an A.I. I never work with other people, and the few vacations I get, I just go a beach and start exploring. I never go out on dates, and I always dream that I'll just be a forgotten person when I die."

"…"

"Michael… Don't you ever get lonely? Don't you ever wonder why we don't get the things we truly want in life, even though we work just as hard as everyone else?"

"Yes, I do."

"Then why are you a bounty hunter. Why don't you just settle down with someone and live your life in peace?"

"I haven't settled down because I haven't fallen in love with someone. As for me being a Bounty hunter, it is because I want to help people."

"You want to help people?"

"Yes, and though this isn't exactly the most respected method, this is one of the most effective ways of helping."

"But why? There are millions of people out there that could care less whether you live or die, and millions more that would exploit your talents."

"I… I do this in memory of someone who changed the way I think and feel. I do this for her, so that maybe I can atone for the wrongs I have done to her and to others."

"Michael, I-"

"It's alright. I have had plenty of time to deal with the loss."

Silence began to fill the room, leaving me with the feeling that this ship was dead. I felt as though I had hurt Michael, and he was just being kind to me. I pressed the off button for the screen, turning off all light in the cockpit. The only light that entered was natural light from the stars, as the underside of the ship was currently facing this galaxy's star.

"Maybe I shouldn't have said any of that."

'And maybe I shouldn't have turned off the screen. It would make more sense to leave it on, that way Cassandra could tell me how long before we get to Eigen.'

"Michael, I'm sorry."


	5. Military Rations

The snow crunched under my feet as I waited by the bushes, hiding the cave Michael had spoken of. There were few sounds to be heard, and the sight of the frozen wasteland all around gave the land a feeling of death. It was as though the only life left in this land were the Space Pirates inside the base.

"Samus."

I turned around, only to find Michael waiting by the cave entrance. He was pushing some bushes aside, allowing light to enter the cave.

"We're in business. It's just as it was years ago."

"Then we should get moving, otherwise the Space Pirates might realize that we're already."

"Come on."

I walked into the cave, carefully watching my footing. Once past the bushes, Michael let go of them and started leading me through the dark cave. Three lights were coming off of him, two from his boots and one from his right shoulder. I currently had my headset lighting the way in front of me, though his lights were brighter then mine.

Michael seemed ignorant of his condition; he was practically covered in snow, and most people wearing his clothing would have begun getting hypothermia in less then thirty minuets.

"Michael, aren't you cold?"

"Actually, I'm fine," he said cheerfully, looking back at me for just a moment. "Though there is snow in here, it feels pretty nice."

"But its thirty degrees Fahrenheit!"

"Well, I got used to the cold," Michael said, still cheerful. He looked back at me again, a grin on his face. "After all, it can be a lot colder in space."

"What do you mean?" I said, confused at his last statement.

"Space is very cold, Samus."

Just as he finished this, he stopped, and then took a careful step downwards, onto what seemed to be a low ledge. After he got down, I did the same, and then followed him through the cave.

"You've been in space with just that on before!"

"Twice," Michael said, laughing it off as if it were a small feat. "Can't say I was very fond of doing it, but I managed."

"Michael, you're crazy."

"I've been told that before."

There were many more turns within the cave, each giving there own mystery to the darkness. We would often head around walls and obstacles when going straight would be easier, and I often told Michael about it. He would reply that it was a dead end, or that it just curved back to another part of the cave. I trusted him though, considering that he had been here before, and I hadn't.

"Stop," Michael said, raising his hand up to warn me. I stopped and looked at him oddly. "There's a big pit in front of us. The only way down is to jump."

"How far does it go?"

"Samus, have you ever jumped from the twelve floor of a major hotel?"

"No, why?"

"Have you ever jumped a hundred feet before?"

"No."

"Then you can't jump this one."

"Is it really that far of a jump?"

There was a pause, and it became very quiet in this cave. Nothing could be heard moving, not even the air around us. Soon, after what appeared to be a moment of deep thought, Michael continued.

"I'm going to have to carry you there, alright. It's about a hundred and fifty feet down, and I don't know if you can take the jump."

I sighed for a moment, and then nodded to Michael. "How are we doing this?"

"Just stand there a moment."

Michael walked to my side, and then went to one knee. I looked at him as he did that, wondering why. When he said "Lean back," I understood why he was in that position. I noticed him put his right arm just behind my knees, which would allow him an easy carry once he had his arm behind my back.

I turned to my left, then did as he instructed. Trusting him blindly, I fell backwards, and just as I thought he was going to drop me, I felt myself stop in mid air. I looked over to him, finding that his arms were firmly under my body.

"Now just hold on, this might be a bit bumpy."

"What do you mean, bumpy?"

"Well, I have never really done a jump this big with a person with two hundred pounds of armor on."

"You better not drop me," I said. I wasn't kidding either; if he dropped me, the armor for the suit might break, and I might not make it if the force is too strong.

"Don't worry, I may be getting old, but I am more then strong enough to handle your weight."

With that, I nodded gently. I could tell that he was being sincere, as we were looking each other in the eye. Then, Michael carefully stood up, and then slowly walked forward to the edge of the cliff. Michael paused for a moment, and as I was cradled in his arms, I could feel a bit of fear in my heart.

'Oh yeah, jumping into the bottomless pit. Maybe I'm afraid of heights.'

I decided to tell Michael to put me down and then find another way down, but it was too late. Just as I turned my head to look at him, he decided to fall forwards into the pit.

"Down into the black abyss we go," he said, though I barely heard him; I was too busy screaming my head off to care.

* * *

"Samus, you alright?"

"Y-yeah…"

Samus got off of my arms and stood on her own two feet again. She took off her helmet, and then started to brush her brow with her left hand.

"Hey Samus."

"Yeah?" Samus looked back at me, and I noticed how pale her face was. Sweat seemed to pour down her face, and I could see the pure terror on her face. Samus was breathing heavily, constantly breathing in and out. Her heartbeat must have been racing, so it was a good thing we were resting.

"Are you afraid of heights?"

"Not really, but I have never really been one to jump into darkness without knowing what's next."

"I suppose it would scare the living daylights out of most people."

I reached into my jacket, and found one of several pockets inside. My left breast pocket housed a handkerchief, which I am sure Samus could use right now.

"Here," I said as I pulled it out. I held the handkerchief in front of her, though Samus seemed a bit frightened of it at first. "Don't worry, it's just a handkerchief."

"Thanks," She said, slowly taking the cloth from my hands. She then began to dry her face off with it, then down her neck, and back up to her forehead. She handed it back to me when she was done, and I simply put it back into my breast pocket.

Just then, a sharp pain came to my right chest. It wasn't very strong, but it felt out of place. I rubbed my chest for a moment, which seemed to confuse Samus.

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing, just a small bruise left from your hand."

"What!"

"When we came down, I felt you place your hand onto my chest while you closed your eyes and screamed. You must have taken quite the grip, as it just started to hurt."

"I'm sorry…"

"Don't worry about it; I can take quite the beating. Besides, we're almost there. Now lets just rest here for a while, you need to catch your breath."

"No, let's go."

Samus, though shaken up, seemed determined to keep going. She was lifting her helmet to her head, but I started to speak again.

"No Samus. We rest here for now."

"But-"

"No buts, Samus. You need to catch your breath, and we still have plenty of time until we have to finish this mission."

"So what, we just stand here and wait for the Space Pirates elite guard to come here and kill us."

"Actually, the chance that they heard us is slim. We are still about three miles away from the base."

"And what's this about almost being there?"

"I was trying to put you at ease."

I began to feel a bit hungry after the eight miles I have traveled so far. I had yet to eat, so I decided to pull out one of the rations I had in my jacket. It was relatively small, as it was an air tight package, as well as an evaporated food, meant for light travel. This dry and compact food allowed soldiers on the front lines to carry several days worth of food in just a single cargo pocket.

"What is that?"

"This? It's a ration from the war. Want one?"

"Not sure if I do. Are they any good?"

"Well, taste wise, not really. But they aren't eaten for taste, they are eaten for nutrients. Here, take this one."

I handed Samus the ration that was in my hand at the moment, then reached into my jacket once more and pulled out another one for myself. I could see Samus reading the instruction on the packaging, all the while I just tore it open and took a small bag out. Once out, I grabbed a handful of snow and put it into the bag. Then I tossed another of the small bags into the one with snow and then placed the bag onto my foot.

"Ok, these instructions are weird."

"Open it first." She did as I said, then looked at me again. "See that empty bag, just put some snow in it, then put the other bag in and wait about five minuets."

"That's it?"

"Yup. The stuff in the bag then heats up, and increases in size as it absorbs steam."

Samus did as I said, then started talking to me again. "So you had to eat this while you were here the last time?"

"I had about two bags, but I got inside the base later, so I just dumped the rest elsewhere, and then blew up the base. Then I got picked up by a rescue team, and I had cooked food back on the ship."

"Sounds exciting."

"Not really. I stayed in the shadows most of time, so I didn't kill too many people while here."

"That's mean."

"I was a cold hearted guy back then," I said, laughing a bit. Though I was being serious, I preferred to not think too badly of myself; otherwise I won't do a good job.

I looked at my ration, finding it to have fully grown. Immediately, I looked at Samus', finding it to be finished as well.

"Samus, the foods done."

Samus picked the food up into her hand, and then peeled off the top zip of the bag, just as the instructions had said on the bag. I did the same, then reached into my jacket and pulled out two forks.

"Here, us this."

"A fork? Why do you have one of these in your jacket?"

"Well, the military didn't give these out. They expected their soldiers to suck it out like it was a big straw, but that doesn't help when you want to eat fast and the food is hot. Fortunately, we aren't under fire, so we have time to enjoy this."

"Actually Michael, you don't."

The small buzz in my ear was Cassandra, giving me another helpful tip that I didn't want to hear.

"What do you mean, Cassandra?"

"A two man patrol is on their way to your location. They aren't moving very fast, but they are only a mile ahead of you."

"Do they know we're here?"

"From what I'm hearing on their communicators, I don't think they know you are there yet. But they will find you soon if you don't move."

"Alright Cassandra, try and block their radio signal from the base. After that, I will take care of them, and then destroy their communicators."

"O.k., be careful."

* * *

"Their coming, aren't they?"

"Yeah, but it's just two of them," said Michael, who talked easily, as though it was nothing important. "They shouldn't be too hard a challenge, so just stay here and eat."

"But-"

"No buts, Samus."

Michael then stood up, and then quickly ran forward into the darkness. His footsteps echoed in the cave for a moment, but it vanished from my ears. I was alone in this cave, and there was little I could do about it. Sure, I could go in the same direction that Michael had gone, but my radar was useless in this cave without a direct link from Michael's ship, and other then that, I knew nothing of this cave.

With few other options, I decided to wait here and eat my food. Carefully, I took my fork and jammed it into the steaming food. I then raised what looked to be a junky goop and put it into my mouth. Though lacking in flavor, it was not bad.

I took another forkful into my mouth, and then noticed Michael food lying in the snow. Feeling sorry that Michael might miss his meal, I picked it up the bag and placed it on my thigh. I hoped that keeping the bag close to me would at least keep it warm until he came back, or until I found a way to get to him, which ever came first.

Minuets passed, and my bag of food was almost done. And though the bag was somewhat small, it would seem all the nutrients inside were more then enough to give me a good feast. I looked at the package once more, and noticed that it said that the bag was biodegradable within one year, which was a relieve to me. I tossed the bag to a far corner of the dark room, along with the used fork. I then held Michael's bag in my left hand and began to move to where Michael had run off to.

No more then two steps forward, I heard to gun shots. It sounded as though someone was using an antique pistol, like the ones used back on earth during the twentieth century.

"Cassandra, do you read me?"

No answer.

"Cassandra, do you read me? This is Samus Aran, do you read me?"

No answer again.

'One more try if not, I'll just have to find a way to Michael on my own.'

"Cassandra of Michael Lindel's ship, do you read me? This is-"

"I read you loud and clear. It took a moment, but I managed to lock onto your signal."

"How is Michael, is he alright?"

"Yes he's fine. He just took care of the two patrolmen that were coming your way."

"I see. Can you give me a map that will lead to him?"

"Sure, just let me uplink it to your visor."

"Thanks Cassandra."

'And thank you, technology.'

I put on my helmet, and then locked it into place with the automatic latches on the side. The visor became active once more, and then a new message and a map revealing Michael location appeared. The message was from Cassandra, saying "here you go". The map had several blue lines in it, showing paths leading to him. A red line was also among the blue lines, showing the fastest route at the moment.

I ran forward, headed towards Michael. I would find him soon, and I am sure that Cassandra would tell him to wait there for me.


	6. Body Parts

"Cassandra, maintain radio silence until I destroy all of the SAMs, alright?"

"Roger."

I placed my hand onto the steel platform that led into the base. It was forty feet from the ground where Samus stood, so jumping the natural wall was out of the question for her. Quickly, I looked around for any Space Pirates, but there was nothing, save for an icicle that was dripping water just by the stairwell that led into the base.

Finding little to worry about, I jumped down to Samus, which startled her a bit.

"You could have at least said you were coming down."

"Don't worry, I wouldn't hit you."

"So how am I getting up? I can't jump that high."

"I'll give you a boost."

With my back towards the wall, I spread my legs to just beyond my shoulders, and then extended my hands forward. I held them together, which gave my hands the look of a small platform.

"Just jump onto my hands and I'll do the rest."

"You sure about this? What if I weigh too much?"

"Don't worry, I have lifted more then my fair share of weights, so I'm sure I can handle the weight of your armor. Now hurry up before some guards come."

"Alright…"

Samus then ran forward, and then jumped onto my hand with both feet. And just as I said, I did the rest. I lifted her into the air, making it quite easy for to grab the ledge and then land onto the steel platform.

"Samus, you alright?"

"Yeah, I'm fine."

"Alright I'm coming up."

With that, I walked away from the wall a bit, giving myself so room for a nice run. Once I found a good space, I ran forward, and just as I was about to hit the wall, I used my legs to run up the wall. A few steps up the wall, I began to feel my body start leaning backwards, and it became harder to run forwards. I forced my body forwards, but it became harder and harder to run.

I was almost there, but I couldn't make the next step. "Shit," I said, which seemed to grab Samus's attention. She stuck her hand over the ledge, while her arm cannon gave her the leverage and support she needed.

"Grab my hand!"

I was starting to get to far from her hand, and my legs just happened to be close enough to her. With little time to spare, I did an aerial back flip, which put my hand just close enough to hers. I got a hold of her with my right hand, and while I swung back, I placed my feet against the wall to stop myself from getting bruised. Samus then pulled me up, and once at the ledge, I placed my free hand on it, then did an acrobatic flip over Samus and onto the platform.

"You know, I find it awkward that you can land on your feet when you jump a hundred and fifty feet, but you can't jump a forty foot wall."

"Well it's easier to fall then to jump. And thanks for the lift."

A set of weird metallic clanks could be heard coming from the staircase, and I became a bit nervous.

"It's them," I said quietly to Samus. She nodded lightly, and then became to silently walk to the staircase, her left hand on her arm cannon. A ball of orange light began to build up into the cannon, and I knew what she was doing.

While she charged her canon, I drew a throwing knife out of my jacket. I went to one knee shortly after. Knife in hand, I waited for the Space Pirate. The footsteps grew louder as they came closer. Each step echoed in the staircase, resonating in my ears.

Soon, a set of feet came into sight, and I prepared for a kill. Waist down was soon visible, then its arms, equipped with a galvanic accelerator cannon and a forearm mounted scythe. A moment later, its head and its beady yellow eyes came into view. And not a moment after, Samus fired, sending the Space Pirate against the wall. Though heavily damaged and somewhat stunned, the pirate was not done. And just as it raised the cannon on its right arm, I threw my knife, and cracked its skull open. The dying Space Pirate collapsed onto the ground, and its blood began to leak onto the floor.

Samus turned and faced me, and I could see the curiosity in her eyes, even if a visor was in the way.

"A knife?"

"Back in the ancient days of earth, ninjas from Japan were very powerful assassins. They were known for using somewhat smaller blades then samurais, and they often used ninja stars and throwing knifes to deal with opponents and targets from a distance. I just happened to use this weapon as they once did, allowing myself to kill from a distance with great accuracy."

"Right… Couldn't a gun do the same thing?"

"True, but my guns are not silenced, and even silenced guns can be heard. These knives are a much quieter means of silencing an enemy."

I moved forward to the dead pirate, then bent down and pulled the knife from his skull.

"We must move quickly. The pirates will be on their way soon, and we must not be found by them just yet."

I cleaned off the knife by flicking it in the air a few times, then wiping it clean on my pants. I then stowed it back into my jacket, then pulled out one of two black pistols I had and attached a silencer to it.

"I'll take point. Samus, you cover my six."

"Sure."

Quietly, I began to move up the stairs, each step carefully placed so as not to make a sound. Samus quietly followed behind me, and together we moved up in almost pure silence. The trek up the staircase was short, as we soon came to an empty room with many large steel crates all about. I went forward, so that I stood behind a stack of these crates, giving myself good cover from enemy eyes. Samus followed, and then went to the other corner of the stack, so as to keep watch for the pirates that would come through the door on the far wall.

"Samus," I said quietly. She looked at me, and I shook my head gently. She nodded, and then placed her back against the crate. "Just wait for them to come. Once they go by, we move."

* * *

No sooner then he said that, the door opened, and the sound of two sets of feet came marching though the room. I looked toward Michael, seeing his gun held down by his waist. I shifted my weight as well, quietly allowing myself to aim toward any who would come behind the crates.

The footsteps came closer to us, and then slowly disappeared into the stairwell. Just as the second pirate went into the stairwell, Michael quickly raised his gun and fired to shots. Gold bullet casing flew into the air, and two thunks could be heard hitting the stairs.

"Come on," he said. "They're dead."

He had lowered his gun and began to move to the door. I followed behind him, and when we got to the door, I waited by the wall next to him. He opened the door by touching a small panel him, then peeked his head out.

"Hmm… Coasts clear. Let's head up to the wall first."

"You lead, Michael."

He nodded, and then started to jog out of the room, his gun at his waist. I followed, my hand ready to blast any who would see us. He left to the right first, and then went around the building until he was covered in darkness. I followed him into the shade, where we stopped to form a strategy.

"Samus, you know how to use this, right?"

Though covered in darkness, I could see the dim light coming from what Michael was holding in front of me. It was an explosive that many bounty hunters carried. Once primed, it would use a simple electronic timer to count a maximum of twenty minuets, and once the time was up, the plasma electronics would set off a small chain reaction inside the device, causing an explosion that was set from one of three pre-set sizes. Small referred to a blast zone of twenty feet, medium being a blast of fifty feet, and the last was a large blast of about a hundred feet. Though meant to be used as a grenade style weapon, this tool has a reputation for replacing C6 as the main explosive for demolitions.

"Yeah, I've used them before."

"Good. There are four SAMs, so that's two for each of us. Take two plasma grenades and plant when I give the signal. This way, when the bombs detonate at the same time, the pirate will be confused, giving us enough time to plant the second while they try to figure out what is going on. Then, we can have Cassandra give us some aerial support."

"Alright. What blast size should we use?"

"Medium isn't enough for the SAMs, so we will use the large setting. Just make sure that we set it for twenty seconds, this way we will have enough time to run to the next SAM."

"Alright then. Now how do we get up?"

"There are a few ladders about, but that will take too long. I'll give you a boost again, but you will have to jump off of the building, or else you won't reach the ledge."

"You're kidding, right? That's at least seventy feet of concrete right there. There is no way I will be able to reach that, even with your boost."

"Don't' worry, I can give you at least fifty feet of boost, and the rest should be cake for you."

"… Alright, but if I fall, you better catch me."

"No problem," he said, laughing a bit.

I took a few steps back, and once I felt I was ready, I ran towards him. I jumped onto his hands once more, making both feet touch. I then felt his hand lift me up, and with the force he had used, I was launched up into the air. I read my visor for a moment, as it counted my current altitude.

'Thirty feet, forty feet, fifty feet…'

The altimeter began to slow down as I reached the top of the building we were just in. Once at sixty five feet, I kicked off the wall, and found myself easily gliding onto the walkway on the large wall. I made an easy landing, and then quickly moved to the ledge to see Michael.

"Come on," I said, lowering my hand for him to grab once more. Michael ran to the wall like before, only now he started to jump from each wall, back and forth. He soon reached my height, and then as he came towards me, he grabbed my hand once more. I pulled, and he kicked at the wall, just as before.

Now on his feet, he dusted himself off, removing what snow he had left.

"I still hate this frozen tundra." He looked back at me, and then nodded. He pulled out two of the bombs, and then handed them to me. Afterwards, he started to run down the long wall, headed to his first target. I went in the opposite direction, finding a large metal object in front of me.

I came to the SAM soon enough, and the object surprised me for its size. It had quite the payload; about forty missiles were already loaded into it, and a long pipe leading down into the wall gave the SAM easy access to a large stock.

After gazing at the machine, I looked back at Michael, who was now crouching down just in front of his first SAM. I placed the mine down onto the piping, and the magnetic body automatically stuck. I then quickly set the bomb to go off in twenty seconds with a large blast. I looked over to Michael, who was now standing up and waving his arms in the air.

"NOW, SAMUS, NOW!"

"ALRIGHT!"

With that, we both touched that launch button our grenades, then started running to the next SAM. I could see that I had a long ways to go, as the wall was very long, or so it appeared. I was about sixty feet away when the bomb blew, sending me flying forward. I got my balance in mid air though, so simply landed on my feet and continued to run. The bomb may have enough power to vaporize many organisms in a hundred feet, but with the SAM in the way, I mainly just got the shockwave from the bomb.

Michael was already at his SAM when I looked at him, apparently priming it to go off. I was now halfway across the wall, and I could already hear the sirens going off. Several Space Pirates had already come out of the building, and my armor was easily visible in the current light. I was being fired upon, but soon the firing stopped for a moment.

Michael's bomb had just gone off, and I saw Michael leap from the wall down toward the grown. I could see the small flares of light coming from his pistol, but he soon vanished behind one of the many building here in the base.

I arrived at my SAM, and instantly kneeled down, placed the bomb, primed it, then jumped to the next building I could find. Once on the building, I went for a ledge away from the bomb, and just as I got my hand to stay, the bomb went off. I kept myself hanging for a moment, and then allowed myself to fall.

"NOW CASSANDRA, COME ON!" I was yelling at the top of my lungs as I fell. Though the fall was quick, I could see the blast from the pirates coming right at me.

"I'm coming now."

Now on my feet, I ran around the corner of the building, firing madly at the pirates. Once in shade, I went around another corner, giving myself plenty of cover.

* * *

"Samus, Michael, thanks for taking out the surface-to-air missiles. You'll be seeing me overhead soon, along with a few un-manned drones."

"Good, some UMDs. Hurry up already, the pirates will over run us soon, and I can't fight them hand to hand."

Another pirate came around the corner, and I quickly raised my gun at him. Unfortunately, he slapped my gun out of my hands, so it was time for me to deal with him in the way I hate.

"You bastard!"

The pirate swung his scythe at me, but I managed to dodge it just in time. With the pirates arm continuing in its horizontal path, I grabbed its arm, and then broke it at the joint. The pirate then began to stumble backwards, all the while raising his gun at me. It fired, but I rolled to my right. Snow in my face, I ran forward and then jumped into the air. My little surprise for him would be quite painful, as my boot was about to make a very nice greeting.

Once I had dealt with this one, I picked up my gun and took off the silencer. Once I had stowed the silencer away, I pulled out my second gun, reloaded the other, and then ran into the open. Guns blaring, I began to accurately place my shots into the many Pirates just standing around. I killed at least seven of them, while another forty stood shooting at me. I made my run, and then headed into the shadows once more.

A door opened in front of me just as I went behind the building. A Pirate came out, and my greeting was a boot in the gut, followed by two shots into his skull. Quickly I rushed into the building, where I found at least five more Pirates getting their weapons. I quickly unloaded the last of my clips into them, and as their bodies hit the floor, I reload my pistols.

I rushed through another door, and found myself next to three Pirates who looked right at me. I fired first, instead of allowing them the honor of putting holes in me. Just as I finished them off, I saw Samus begin to blast her way through the sea of Pirates now gathering in the open. Missiles all over, she began to wreak havoc upon the enemy.

Samus was just in the middle of the large mass of Pirates, and both of our guns were firing madly. Dozens of pirates fell to our immense fire power, but soon we began to be over run. Dozens of Pirates began to pour out from a single building. It must have been the barracks, other wise the pirates would not have come out so fast.

"Here I am," said a voice in my ear. I recognized it to be Cassandra, who was still talking. "Now clear out while I lay down the law."

"Cassandra, blow up the building where the pirates are coming from!"

"Will do."

And just as I asked, Cassandra launched two missiles into the building. A large explosion followed, and body parts and chunks of concrete came falling down. I had hidden inside the building I had gone in just a second ago, but I could easily see the mess Cassandra had made.

"Very impressive, Cassandra."


	7. MetaRidley

I began to come to, my eyes slowly adjusting to the light in the room. I groaned as I felt a sharp pain in my right shoulder, a pain that stung like a wasp of sorts. I lifted my hand off of the ground in an attempt to rub my shoulder, but quickly became somewhat surprised.

"Huh? Why can't I lift my hands?"

I struggled for a moment, trying to get my hands farther up. As I struggled, I noticed the sound of moving chains, and I realized that I had been chained to the wall.

'Why the hell am I chained to the wall? And where the hell am I?"

I began to look around the room, finding only a few more chains attached to the wall. There was little else to look at, save for a dim light that hung from the ceiling. The walls were black, as the light was dying, fading in and out of life.

Suddenly, adoor swung open, and a large flash of blinding light came into the room. I only saw three shadows, two of which stood on their feet. The third seemed to limp on their feet quite a bit, as if beaten. This shadow was tossed into the room, and a quiet thunk could be heard as the person fell to the floor. The door slammed shut, and the room became dark once more.

My eyes adjusted once more to the darkness, and I began to notice who was on the floor. Blonde hair, blue jumpsuit, pale white hands...

"Samus!"

"…"

"Samus, wake up."

"Eh…" She began to cough for a moment, her voice almost gone. She seemed very tired, and she could not even raise her hand to cover her mouth.

"Samus, what happened?"

"Th-they…"

I then started to see water dripping from her hair, falling to the floor. She looked at me, and fatigue was clearly visible. She could hardly keep her eyes open.

"They tortured you, didn't they?"

"Yeah…"

"Samus grab my foot; I'll pull you over here."

I extended my foot a far as I could, even with the chains on my arms. I managed to place my foot by her hands, which were stating to crawl towards me. Samus grasped my boot, and I carefully pulled her towards me. Once she was close enough to me, I grasped her by her shoulder and lifted her onto my waist. I began to feel the water from her seep into my pants, and the chill she had was causing her to shiver like a frozen child.

"Samus, you're freezing. Take off the top of your jumpsuit; I'll give you my shirt."

"I've had worse…"

These words were followed by a sneeze, which caused Samus to move about slightly.

"Samus if you don't, you're going to get hypothermia. It'll be better for you to wear this shirt of mine."

"Fine…"

A minuet later, there was no sound of a zipper coming down. I became worried for Samus, so I began to talk to her.

"Samus, what's wrong?"

"I… I can't lift my arms… Too… tired…"

"Alright, I'll help you out then. Where is the zipper for this thing?"

"…"

"Is it in the back?"

She shook her head.

"Alright, well don't get mad at me later. I'm just trying to help."

Samus rested her head against my chest, and it seemed as though she had gone completely lifeless. Know better, I simply went on to unzip her jumpsuit only until her waist. I then gently peeled the sleeves off of her arms, which then revealed her body to me. She now wore only a bra, and that was soaking wet too. Carefully, I unbuckled it in the back the placed the item aside for the moment.

With Samus being… naked from the waist up, I pulled off of my shirt and then stuck Samus' head through the neckline. I pulled her hair out, and then tuck both of her arms through the sleeves. I then pulled the shirt all the way down, and then tucked the excess into the waist of her jumpsuit. This would keep her warm, and keep as much heat from escaping as possible.

Samus, though somewhat more comfortable then before, continued to shiver in place. I placed my arms around her shoulder and held her to me. And although the chains restrained my body quite a bit, I still managed to pull my arms that far. Now with my arms around her, I began to slowly rub her left shoulder and arm. If this worked, I would at least raise her temperature a few degrees. If not, then she would die of hypothermia very soon.

"Michael… they…"

"Don't' worry Samus. Just go to sleep, when they come for me, I'll deal with them."

Time passed, and they came. They had tazer bats, and with anger in their hands, the moved Samus away from me and gave me quite the thrashing. I let it happen though, this way I could conserve as much energy as I needed for later.

I was then unchained and the two guards tazered me again. They then lifted me by my arms and began to drag me through the doors. Once outside the door, another guard closed it, and a fourth guard came with a set of arm restraints.

To their surprise, I released myself from the grasp of the two guards, as well as deal with the other guards around me. My actions were swift, and with surprise on my hand, I managed to take these guards out easily. Once the guards were out cold, I began to take their weapon off. I placed the cannon attachment onto my left forearm, wrapping it with a material similar to Velcro. As for the scythe, I pulled it off and attached it to my right arm.

Now with a few new weapons, I looked for my jacket and Samus' Varia suit. Samus' suit was the first thing I found, as it was in a large metal cage. I knew better then to try and break it open, as both the canon and the scythe were no match for the steel of the cage. My jacket on the other hand was not well guarded, as it was left on the back of a chair in the room. I eased the jacket on, and then put one of my pistols into my right hand, so that if an enemy was too close, I could still slash with the scythe, as well as shoot with my concealed pistol.

Just then, a door opened to my right, and several space pirates came into the right. I charged first, blasting a few shots from the cannon and my pistol, and once I was within range, I began to hack and slash at the group.

'They don't stand a chance.'

The battle was over before they could even fight back. Their bodies now lied on the ground, lifeless. I looked back at the cage Samus' suit was in, and noticed that in order to open the cage, one would need a keycard. I looked among the group of those I had taken care of, rummaging through their belongings. Body after body, there was no keycard, though I soon came into a great bit of luck. A single guard had several keycards on them, each with a different color.

Quickly, I rushed over to the cage and began swiping the cards. There were four cards, a blue, a red, a black, and a yellow card. I swiped the black card first, followed y the red and then the blue. As luck would have it, the yellow card opened the cage, and Samus' armor was soon in my hands.

"Samus, wake up!"

"…"

"Samus… Samus!"

She was responding to me. I dragged the armor over to her, then dropped it onto the ground. Quickly, I kneeled beside her and lifted her head. I checked her pulse, finding it to be weak and fading. Her skin was cold to the touch, and she was already beginning to turn pale.

"Shit, how am I supposed to save her if she's going to die soon? Cassandra, do you hear me?"

There was no response. This startled me, so I checked my ear, where I usually had a small communicator that allowed me to link up with Cassandra. It wasn't there.

'Shit, if it fell out, then there is no way I'm going to find it. I'm just going to have to see if I can use this suit and get it onto Samus.'

I picked up the helmet, and then placed it onto my head. It was pretty easy to put on, but I didn't have as much hair as Samus, so it might be easy to figure out why. Several visors flickered on, each trying to identify me. A warning sign came on, and I instantly understood why.

"There must be a DNA recognition program in here. It won't read unless I put it onto Samus."

I took off the helmet, then began to inspect the suit. Upon further inspection, I noticed a small button on the chest, which I thought was just a light. I pressed it, it flickered green, and then the suit opened up. It was as if it were a large eggshell, opening straight along the center. Once open, there seemed to be more then enough room in there for Samus to fit. Hell, it looked as though I could fit inside the thing.

"Come on, Samus. Time for some life support."

I lifted Samus off of the ground, then placed her inside of the suit. Carefully, I placed her legs and arms inside as well, and then made sure that her hair flowed out of the armor, so as to not get tangled inside.

Once safely tucked inside, the armor reacted on its own, closing itself around Samus. Once locked up, several beeps could be heard coming from the helmet. I put the helmet on once more, and several new screens had appeared. One was a simple welcome message, another a weapons warning alert. I quickly read the notices, and the last disturbed me. A health warning was flashing, repeating a single message time and again.

"DANGER, LIFE SIGNS FAILING! DANGER, LIFE SIGNS FAILING!"

"How the hell do I help that then?"

And as if responding to my voice, the message vanished, and another popped up in its place.

"Activating life support."

A status menu on Samus' health then appeared, and several details about her appeared inside of it. Temperature, heart rate, blood pressure, and other such things came up, and the suit began to respond to the abnormalities. Soon, Samus was returning to her normal state as a human, and the symptoms of hypothermia were beginning to dissipate.

"Good, now I don't have to worry about yo-"

Just then, a very loud sound came from just above me. The sound was very strange, and part of it sounded as though claws were screeching along the roof. I looked up in curiosity, and several screens began to pop-up. The screens blinked and flickered, and soon enough, a single message was left.

"Bio-form detected. Meta-Ridley "

'Meta-Ridley? Who's that?'

A picture in the screen soon came up, and a dragon like creature was what it showed. Metallic armor, heavy weaponry, and a large mass was what it was comprised off. Talons, a long snout, and a very long tail were some other details shown, and I became a bit worried.

"Damn… I gotta take care of this guy now."

'Hmm… I say its weak spot is its chest… I'll try to remember that.'

With my information gathered, I took off the helmet and laid it next to Samus.

"Don't worry Samus, I'll take care of this guy."

It may have been pointless to say this, considering that she was still sleeping. However, I had a feeling that she heard me, though she did not really respond.

I walked out of the room, weapons still attached to my arms. Slowly, I left the building, and then looked up, finding this Meta-Ridley looking about. He seemed to be searching for something, most likely one of the other Pirates.

"HEY UGLY!"

This definitely got its attention. Meta-Ridley turned around to face me, and just as it did, its tail nearly whacked me in the face. I ducked though, as I usually kept a good eye on my surrounding.

"Hmm, you are not Samus. Who are you, human?"

"I am Michael Lindel."

"I see. So you are the intruder that was described in the report."

"I'm sorry, but I have no idea what you are talking about. Please, enlighten me."

"A Tall, dark haired, gun wielding man who wears clothing from ages past. I did not expect to find one as foolish as you within my lifetime, though Samus Aran has proven to be a nuisance. No before I kill you, where is she?"

"Why the hell would I tell you? Besides, what makes you think you can kill me?"

"Simple, you are but a human. And seeing as you have not told me where she is, I will simply have fun torturing you to get what I want."

"Sorry, but I'm not one to be tortured. If you want to find her, you will have to find her yourself."

"Then prepare to die, human."

With these last words, Ridley opened his mouth, and a burst of fire began to spew forward. I began to run away from him, all the while keeping my eyes on the fire. I aimed my arm at his mouth, and carefully placed a good shot into his jaws.

The fire ceased, and a great yelp came forth from the beast.

"HOW DARE YOU! I AM META-RIDLEY, GREAT WARRIOR OF THE SPACE PIRATES!"

"How little I care. Now if you want to live, I suggest you get the hell out of here. Cassandra, you there?"

I forgot that I had lost the communicator. I could not hear her if she even thought of replying. But I did know one thing about my ship. Even if I didn't have the communicator in my ear, she could still hear me.

"Who are you talking to human? Thin air?"

"Cassandra, come to the base ASAP. I have a large bug to deal with, and his weak point is his chest. Oh, and make sure you bring out the UMDs."

"I have no idea what you are talking about, foolish human. But soon, you will parish by my ha-"

I began to blast the big beast in the chest, using bother the graviton cannon, as well as my pistol.

"HA, you think those small shots of your can do me any harm. I am Meta-Ridley, the one who will-"

"Oh shut up. I know your name, and the only thing I was doing was stalling. And in about twenty seconds, my ship will come and blow you into itty bitty pieces."

"Why you… I shall teach you pain in ways you shall never wish upon anyone."

Just then, Meta-Ridley leaped into the air, his wings taking him several dozen feet into the air. He flew away for a moment, then flew around and began heading for me. Flame was coming from his snout once more, and this time, I was sure he would hit me. My only chance of getting away would have to be diving behind the building the beast was sitting on just a moment ago.

Quickly, I ran over to the building, trying to get away from his flame. Meta-Ridley was now over me, his speed being incredible. I dove, trying to dodge the fire, and it worked. I had gotten passed the fire and Meta-Ridleys attack, but just in time.

"MICHAEL, ARE YOU ALRIGHT!"

"Don't worry about me, just take this guy out. His weak point is his chest."

"Alright. Launching UMDs now."

"What! This is your ship?"

"Yes, and she is here to blow you the hell up. Cassandra, launch a missile at him now."

"Yes sir."

Cassandra's metallic body soon flew over me in chase of Meta-Ridley, who was now trying to avoid the fire of the six UMDs Cassandra had launched. Then, a missile was fired, and the trail of smoke started to head for the ground. It was going low, so as to sneak up on Ridley. It managed to work too, as he was busy trying to deal with the UMDs. A loud thunk could be heard in the distance, and the sound of falling snow echoed throughout the mountains nearby. I could only think that Meta-Ridley had been either blown into small chunks of flesh, or had been covered by the avalanche.

Cassandra returned, and then carefully landed on an empty piece of land in the base. He cargo hatch opened, giving me full access to the hull.

"Cassandra, have you located the laser while I was away?"

"I have taken the liberty of blowing it up, as well. The Space Pirates tried to use it earlier after you and Samus had been knocked unconscious. Before they could fire, I blew it up, and then they had to close the main door before snow could interfere any more of the dying circuitry."

"I see. Alright then, I'll just have to finish the base off before we leave, but I must retrieve Samus first. Wait for me here."

"Alright, but come back soon."

"I will, don't worry."


	8. Cups of Ice

"Samus, wake up."

She was lying on my bed at the moment, resting somewhat better then before. I had carried her to my ship earlier, and now I was taking care of her. Her suit was a bit tough to move, as it weighed quite a bit when it was powered off. I placed the suit into the chair by my work desk, this way when Samus wakes up, she could easily find it.

It would seem Samus was suffering from a nightmare now. Sweat was dripping down her forehead, and she continually tossed and turned in her sleep. I brought a wet wash cloth to try and quell her sweat, but it only worked for a few minuets. Unfortunately, she would not wake from the dream, even with all the shaking I had applied to her shoulders earlier. This was one dream she would have to contend with, even if she disliked it.

I decided to head out of the room, hoping to find something to do while I waited for Samus to get better. Slowly, I headed into the cockpit, where I found the black abyss that was space standing just outside the window. The white lights of each planet were zipping by, and I would have to wait before I could see Terra Firma once more.

* * *

"Michael."

"Huh? Samus, you're awake."

"How long have I been out?"

"Give or take three hours."

I brushed my hands through my hair, feeling the tensions running through my mind. I had been knocked out three hours, and only a small amount of Space Pirates had done this to me. Not only that, I had a partner.

I slammed my hand against the wall, releasing a chunk of my anger onto the ship. The noise I caused could be heard echoing in the cockpit, and I was sure that Michael was somewhat annoyed by what I had done.

"I take it you are thinking about what happened back on Eigen."

"Yeah..."

"You know Samus, things like this happens."

"No it doesn't!"

"Yes, Samus, it does. Everyone has those times when they are captured by their enemy. Some more then others."

"I have never been caught off guard before. And this time around, I was too weak to even save myself."

"True, but sometimes you aren't in a position to save yourself."

"Really, and when have you ever been unable to save yourself!"

"Well, there have been several times when I have been captured. Twice during the war, I was shot down, and within the last five years alone, I have been captured three times, though once was on purpose."

"You're kidding?"

"No."

"…"

'What do I say? Michael has had more then his fare share of trouble, and I am acting as if I am all high and mighty. He even saved me, and I am not even thanking him.'

"Samus, don't worry about it so much."

"What?"

"Listen Samus, I've been through a lot, and so have you. And I definitely remember how I felt after I first got captured. I felt like an idiot, and I started to think that I was the weakest guy in the world. But eventually, you get over it. For me, I had to become a blood thirsty, cold hearted bastard. You have a chance to become the same, thus making yourself impossible to predict. However, I would not recommend that."

"And what would you recommend?"

"Simple. Go on with your life, have fun, get married."

"You're kidding…"

"No. I use to be a cold hearted bastard, but a person very special to me changed that. She taught me how to be a loving person again, and gave back the gentle heart that I once had. Unfortunately, she lost her life in doing so."

"Michael, I-"

"It's alright Samus. I'm just saying, don't be like me and not have someone to love, just because you went psycho."

* * *

I stood up, and then walked over to Samus. Carefully, I placed my hand onto her shoulder, and then looked into her eyes. She seemed somewhat surprised by my gesture, which I had expected.

"Samus, we have plenty of time before we get to Terra Firma. So don't worry so much. I suggest you take some time to think about what has happened recently, as well as what you would like to do in the future."

I took my hand off of her shoulder, and then began to head towards the back of the ship. I was heading for the gym, so as to work off some stress and worry.

"I'm going to the gym in the back of the ship, so if you need me then you know where to find me."

After that, I went into the gym area and began to use the bench press. I would have done something else, but I just felt like pumping some iron really fast. Eventually, I went on to do push ups as well, and after that I began some crunches.

'She seems very disappointed in herself right now. Understandable considering that she has actually lost a fight. But I think she will get over it, she has a very strong will.'

"Mind if I join you?"

"Samus?"

I looked up at Samus, and was somewhat surprised at what she was wearing. At the moment, she was wearing sweat pants and a large shirt, at least for her. The pants were tied very tightly, as they were much too big for her size.

"I hope you don't mind me borrowing some of your clothing."

"Not at all. It is better then wearing the jumpsuit from before, especially considering it is still very wet."

"So, do you mind if I train in here as well?"

"No, be my guest."

Samus nodded, and then proceeded to bombard me with questions. All the while, I continued to do crunches, as her questions only kept my mind on something else then the empty space around me.

"Michael, what should I do first?"

"Depends on what you want to work on."

"What would you suggest then?"

"Well if you want more upper body strength, you could do push ups, or use the bench press, pull up bar, or use some free weights and lift using just your arms."

"What would be the best?"

"It's not really what is the best for you, but what would be more practical for you."

"I see…"

"I take it you have never worked out in a gym before."

"Not really."

"Alright."

I stood up from my position, and then headed over to the free weights. The barbells I had were lying next to each other by the wall, so I grabbed two. One was a sixty pound weight, the other a twenty five.

With the weights in hand, I walked over to Samus and held the sixty weights in front of her. "Take this," I said, commanding her to take the weight from me. Quickly, Samus took the weight from me, and just as fast as she had taken it, the weight slipped from her fingers and crashed against the ground.

"Why did you-"

"Ok, a bit too heavy for you. Here, try this other weight."

"Are you sure?"

"Positive."

"Alright."

Samus reached forward and relieved me of the weight in my hand. She held it sturdily in her right hand, though I could tell she needed some help with the weight. The weight was weighing her down, as she body was beginning to shift over to her right. "Well, this is a bit heavy," all the while trying to keep herself stable.

"Follow me, Samus."

I began to walk over to the bench press, as the seat there was large enough for Samus to fit comfortably. "Sit here," I said, pointing to the seat. She nodded, giving a small grunt as she hauled the weight along. She sat down, and then placed the weight onto the bench as well.

"Alright Samus, exercise number one."

I lifted the weight off of the bench with my right hand, and then sat down next to Samus. I then placed my elbow onto my knee, propping my knee so as to ease the weight on my arm. Afterwards, I began pull the weight towards me, so that it was vertical to the floor. Once there, I lowered it away from me, making about a thirty degree angle with my right arm.

"Do you think you can do that?"

My question was somewhat swift, and my arm continued to pull and lower the weight. I was used to heavier weights, so this was pretty easy for me.

"Sure…"

"You don't sound too confident."

"Yeah well…"

"Don't worry, I'll be right here, so if you need help, you won't need to ask."

"Well… Alright."

Samus then took the weight from my arm, and just as I had shown her earlier, she propped her arm onto her knee. Once she had done so, I moved off of the bench and then took a knee in front of her. I then held out my hands a few inches above her knees, which would serve as a resting platform for the weight.

"Ok, now chest bring the weight up."

She nodded, and then quickly thrust the weight up into a vertical position.

"No Samus, you must do it slowly."

"Why?"

"When you do it slowly, you use your muscles more then you do thrusting it back and forth. This way, you build your muscles fast using lighter weights."

"Oh, ok."

"Now slowly bring it down to my hands."

Samus nodded once more, and gently placed the weight into my hands.

"Alright, now I'm going to say up, and when I do bring it up. Then I will say down, and you will lower it to my hands. But don't let it touch my hands, alright."

"Huh?"

"If you let me hold the weight, you don't use your muscle as much."

"… Alright."

"Up."

Samus remembered what I said, and in response lifted the weight. "Down," I said, and the weight soon came to my hand.

"Don't let it touch my hand, just let it hover above it."

"I'm… Trying…"

Samus was trying very hard too. Sweat was slowly forming on her forehead, even though this was her second repetition. "Up," I said, and her arm slowly lifted the weight once more. "Down," and her arm allowed the weight to do just that.

"Up. Down. Up. Down. Up. Down. Up. Come Samus, you can do it. Come on, lift, lift."

* * *

"I… Am… Done…"

"I can see that Samus."

Michael was carrying me out of the gym room and into the large hallway. He had put me through some rigorous training, ranching from sit ups to the use of the massive bench press he had. I found it amazing though, as he seemed to always know just how much weight to give me, and every time, he would keep encouraging me to keep going.

"I'll just set you down right here."

Soon, Michael placed me into one of the cloth fabric chairs, allowing me to rest easy. "I'll be back shortly with dinner," he said, though it seemed to just be a blur to me. Michael soon vanished into a room across from the one I was in earlier.

'Wow… He's making dinner.'

This simple gesture seemed almost extravagant to me. I had never had a man actually make ME dinner, so I was somewhat surprised that he said that. Time passed, and Michael hadn't returned. The ship was quiet, and even the hum of the warp drive engine was out of reach of my ears. My eyes wandered the lounge area for a bit, but there was little of true interest. My gaze simply went to the door where Michael had entered a moment earlier.

Five, ten, fifteen minuets passed by slowly. Save for a few clanks, there was very little noise. I could have sworn Michael had said something earlier, though I was too tired to decipher it. A few minuets later, and Michael stepped out. He was walking towards me with two cups in his hands, both filled with ice. He stopped, and placed the cups onto the table in front of me.

"Just wait a little bit more, Samus. Dinner is almost ready."

I nodded lightly, and then watched as Michael went back into the room again.

'Maybe that's his kitchen… I probably should have looked earlier.'


	9. Dinner and a shower

"Samus."

"Samus, wake up."

My eyes slowly creaked open, finding dim lights filling the room. Michael was in front of me, apparently concerned form me.

"What is it?"

"Samus, you fell asleep. Are you still hungry, or should I take you to bed?"

'Hunger or sleep… Hunger or sleep… Why is he asking me questions?'

I began to yawn for a moment, all the while getting my bearings. I stretched lightly, forcing myself to ease my muscles, should I need them soon.

'I remember sitting in the chair in the hall, waiting for dinner… And then I had that really nice dream…'

I breathed in through my nose after yawning, drawing some breath for my body. A fresh aroma seemed to waft into my nose, and the thought of a delicious food came to mind.

"What's that smell?"

"That would be dinner."

Michael stepped out of my vision for a moment, allowing me to see the table that was there earlier. Only, instead of a barren table wit two cups, I see a beautiful linen table cloth, well assorted silver ware, and an assortment of delicious food. Ranging from a salad with dressing to a roast turkey next to some mashed potatoes, all the food looked delicious and extravagant, almost as though a master chef had put their soul into the food.

"Wow…"

"I take it that it looks pretty good?"

"That is an understatement."

"Sorry, it's just that I have never had to cook for someone else before."

"You're kidding, it looks like an amazing chef made this."

"Really?"

Suddenly, the loud speakers inside the ship came on, creating a short static noise. The static soon faded, and Cassandra's voice came to my ears.

"Michael, you have practiced cooking time and again. Stop being so modest, you know it is delicious."

Michael, in response to what Cassandra had said, raised his head up and began to speak to the ceiling. His voice was quite clear, and his tone was calm but stern.

"Cassandra, you know I have never cooked for another person."

"And I understand that you are a bit nervous. But just let Samus tell you whether it is bad or not."

"I think I will."

* * *

"I don't think I can eat another bite." 

"I could imagine, considering all the food you just ate. You had more then half of everything I made."

"I'm sorry Michael, I just couldn't help myself."

"Don't worry about it. There was more then enough for the both of us."

Samus began to stretch her arms again, just as she did when she woke up earlier. A light yawn escaped her lips as well, though I took little care in it. She was tired, and I was sure she would like to retire to her room.

"Samus, I'm pretty sure you would like to go to bed, right?"

"Yeah," she said, still yawning.

"The extra room is just across from the gym. It's got a bathroom and all the other essentials, so you shouldn't really have a problem for the night."

"Alright," Samus said, followed by yet another yawn. She then stood up, and began to walk to her right, towards the spare room. She made it to the door, which soon whisked open, sensing her presence. Samus then walked into her room, placing her right hand onto the edge of the door. Once inside, she leaned back out once more, looking straight at me.

"Thank you for dinner, Michael."

"You very welcome, Samus. Good night."

"Good night."

Samus then went back into her room, removing her hand from the door as she did so. The door shut, and then silence filled the room once more. Afterwards, I leaned back into my chair, relaxing a little bit.

"She liked my food. Amazing."

"Michael, you have spent fifteen years trying to make your food taste better. I'm sure you've have had more then enough practice for even a great chef to have a bit of trouble against your cooking."

"Stop exaggerating things Cassandra. I am no expert on cooking. And besides, I don't know what everyone else likes to eat anyhow, I've only had to cook for myself."

"Well Samus seemed to enjoy your cooking very much."

"Yes… Well… S-she was probably just really hungry from all that training."

"That could be a possibility. Still, she ate more then you did."

"Yeah, that was surprising. She's slender, but she has the appetite of a pig."

I leaned forward, placing my elbows onto my knees. Looking at the table, I saw the remains of the food I had prepared for Samus and I. Messy plates were strewn all around, along with two moist cups, silver ware, and a bottle of vintage wine from earth.

'Samus insisted on drinking wine… Why?'

"Oh well, I can think about that while I clean all of these plates up."

* * *

"I haven't had a shower like that in ages." 

I stepped out of the shower stall, and then grabbed the towel that was hanging next to the glass door of the shower. Quickly, I began to dry my body, all the while noticing the steam on the window slowly fade away.

My reflection was easily seen in the mirror, and I began to gaze at myself. As a young woman in her early thirties, I was still beautiful. Beautiful, lightly tanned skin, blue eyes like the sea and golden blonde hair were the features that most men were bound to see. Most men had a tendency to only look at these external features, but they were not what I really cared bout.

'I want a man who would actually care about me.'

I began to doubt myself, looking down at the ground. My vision of the floor was blocked by the two mounds of flesh that protruded from my chest.

'I bet a lot of guys would like to touch these. Men… Most men are pigs. But Michael… He's different. He's kind and gentle. Not like a lot of those other people you see out there.'

I started to notice a chill coming into the room. The steam that had been in the room had finished fading away, and my body began to feel the cool air coming in the room. Quickly, I looked around for my clothing, but I only found the jumpsuit and under garments that I had worn already.

"There is no way I can wear these again. And I don't have anything else to wear."

'I guess that I have to ask Michael if I can borrow some clothes.'

Carefully, I wrapped the moist towel around me, just so that it covered both my breasts and my butt. The towel was big enough to do so, but it felt a bit awkward trying to walk about with the towel on.

Slowly, I left the room, and began to head down to the room I believed to be the kitchen. The door to that room was open, so I stopped there. Then, I leaned on my left leg and peaked into the room. I saw Michael in the room, hand washing a stack of dishes left from dinner. His jacket was lying on top of one of the counter tops, and the long sleeve shirt he wore was rolled up. Michael seemed quite involved with the plates, as her hadn't noticed that I was leaning into the room.

"Um, Michael…"

"Huh," said Michael, who was startled by my voice. "Oh, Samus. What is it?"

"Do you have any clothes that I could borrow?"

"Uh, sure. Just go into my room and check my dresser."

"Thanks."

"No problem."

After this brief conversation, I walked into Michael's room, and then headed over to the dresser he had on the far side of the room. There were five drawers to it, so I started with the one on top.

'Briefs… who would of thought.'

I closed the drawer, and then opened the second one. Socks and several tank tops, most in white, red, or black, filled the drawer, and with little need for socks, I grabbed one of the black tank tops and tossed it onto Michael's bed.

Now that I had the tank top, I needed a pair of pants or something of that nature. I closed the second drawer and opened the third, finding just what I was looking for. There were several pairs of shorts, though quite a few sweat pants were also stacked neatly inside. I grabbed a pair of black sweat pants and tossed it next to the tank top.

"I don't think I'll find anything else that I can wear in here."

I shut the drawer, and then headed over to Michael's bed. Once there, I dropped the towel to the floor, and then put on the tank top, followed by the sweat pants. I tucked the extra material of the tank top into the sweat pants, and then tied the sweat pants at the waist, so as not to fall when I moved about.

* * *

"I see you finished changing." 

Samus seemed startled by what I had just said. She looked at me with anger in her eyes, so I guessed she had thought I had watched her change.

"Don't worry, I just opened the door. I didn't see anything."

"You should knock next time."

"Have you found everything you needed?"

"Yes, actually I did."

"I'm glad you did."

"Hey Michael, who is this?"

I noticed that Samus had seen the photo that I kept on my nightstand. Though the room was barely lit, there was more then enough light to illuminate the picture. This photo had been taken years ago, when I had a short period of leave during the war. I was spending some time with Emilia Langsted, who was very close to me at the time.

'Emilia…'

Slowly, I closed my eye, giving in to the darkness around me. I began to recall her face, lightly pale, though a hint of red was always on her cheeks. Her eyes were a beautiful emerald, and her long brown hair had always intrigued me. She was not the sexiest woman around me at the time, though I found her to be the most important of them all, or at least to me.

"Uh… Michael…"

"Sorry. I was just thinking for a moment. Her name is Emilia Langsted."

"What was she, your sister?"

"No… More then that."

"Huh?"

"I'm sorry, but I prefer to not talk about this subject. All you need to know is that that picture is the only memento I have of her."

"Wait, are you sayi-"

"I'm sorry, but I must ask that you leave me alone for the night, please."

"Michael, if I offended, then I am-"

"It's alright. I just… need to reflect on my past.


	10. Colonel Anderson

"Oh, hello. I see you two have returned again."

The same young man greeted us once more are Samus and I entered the bar of Southern Horizon Inn. Though not as dark and gloomy as it was before, the room still seemed to be quite empty.

"I see business is running slow today."

"Yes, sir. The last person in here besides me entered about an hour ago."

"Really?" Samus seemed a bit surprised at this, though I thought little of it. "This man… Is he still here?"

"Actually, yes he is."

"Good," I said, looking about the room. "Give me a double mocha frapuchino, just like last time."

"Sure thing. Anything for you, ma'am?"

"Yes, Bahama mama please."

"Alright, just give me a quick minuet."

The bartender took care of our drinks relatively quickly. He must have remembered the nice tip I had given him earlier, because before I could even pay for the drinks he said "it's on the house".

Once I had been given my drink, I began to look around the room once more. The client was sure to be in the room, considering what he had told us to do before we had even begun our mission. I looked about the room, finding all but one chair empty. A stall was being occupied by a single person in the far corner of the room. The person, who was facing us at the moment, did not wear a business suit, but a galactic federation uniform. The white cloth-like material covered his entire body, save for his head, as graying hair and a light face were revealed to us.

"Michael," Samus said, apparently noticing the man as well.

"Yes, that's him."

The two of us moved over to the stall and sat down in front of the uniformed man. I allowed Samus to sit first, allowing her time to get comfortable. The man, or should I say Colonel (pronounced kernel) Anderson, by what his uniform and name tag say, seemed somewhat pleased with himself, as he had a fairly good grin on his face.

"You seem cheery, Colonel."

My words seemed only to signify an understanding between us. I seemed to remember that face now, and though I had a name, I didn't remember where I saw him from.

"As a matter of fact, I am."

Samus started to speak now, her confidence in herself growing.

"Am I correct in assuming that you already know the status of the mission?"

"Yes you are. I am here simply to give you two your proper reward, as well as some information you may find interesting."

"This information being..."

"First off, Michael, after you and Samus both left the planet, the Federation Ship Galaga made a short stop at planet Eigen. By my order, we did a small sweep of the area, and made sure the base is no longer operational. Though I was very confident in the power of your explosives, I felt that a small missile would be enough assurance that what could have been left is no more."

"Just a little extra protection for the federation."

"Very true Samus. You can never be too careful these days, as the higher ups say."

"Well I wouldn't trust the higher ups too much, they have been known cross their own hired men."

"Very harsh words, Samus. True this has happened, but there was always a good reason."

"They have done it to me before, and chose that I bring back a very dangerous creature with me."

"I see… Well you have my sympathy, but I cannot say I knew anything about this."

"Yes, I'm sure. The higher ups most likely put this incident under five star clearance."

I could tell that Samus's blood was boiling. Her temper was starting to get out of hand, as her voice was growing louder, and her hands were clenched into fists. Angry at the stupidity of it all, she must have been forcing herself not to strangle the poor guy across the table.

Slowly, as I listened to the conversation, I began to remember a few things, most concerning Colonel Anderson. He looked very close to the Major I worked for years ago. Though much older, his nose and eyes seemed to be almost identical.

"Not to be rude, but I must change the subject for a moment."

"Fine, but… Oh, whatever."

Samus was furious by now, and the only thing keeping her cool was the now melting drink in her hand. She began to suck on the drink, sipping it through the straw as if it had annoyed her more then the Colonel.

"Colonel Anderson, were you a Major during the war twenty years ago?"

"Yes actually I was. And also, I was beginning to wonder when you would remember me. I remember you yelling at me for telling you to watch your mouth around the Colonel, and then punching me across the face. I also remember that only Emilia Langsted kept you from assaulting me anymore."

"Oh, that… Yeah back then I wasn't worried about a court marshal."

"No worries. That actually taught me a lesson."

"That being?"

"Well, I learned that there were some people who should not be crossed. One such as yourself. Although, I can see that you have mellowed over the years."

"Yes well, I have had my fair share of epiphanies over the years."

"Michael, I saw you by Emilia's bed when the ship was attacked. Poor thing died horribly."

"Yes, but at least she died for what she believed in."

These not so fond memories were one of many nightmares that I tried to avoid at night. Often, my writing would remind me of these memories, and often I would wake up in the middle of the night, sweating profusely.

"Maybe we should change the subject once more," I said.

"Very well. Now as for the reward, it has been delivered to your accounts. That's five million credits each, mind you, so the total sum is actually ten million."

"Wow…"

Samus seemed very taken aback by how much she was being given. Though well earned, I still felt a bit surprised myself.

"Yes, you two are getting more then several years of a soldiers pension. Now please, enjoy yourselves. Maybe go on vacation."

"I'm sure we will, Colonel."

"Well, I must bid you farewell. I have business to attend to immediately, and I cannot stay for small conversation."

Colonel Anderson rose from his after speaking and began to head for the door. Feeling a bit of the old military man in me, I rose as well, and then saluted with my right hand (he way it's supposed to be). This sudden gesture seemed to catch his attention, as he looked at me quite curiously.

"What are you-"

"It's been a long time since I retired, but you still deserve the respect of an officer."

"Then I must return the gesture in kind."

Colonel Anderson then saluted me, and after a moment lowered his hand. Once he had lowered his hand, I lowered mine, only to be greeted by the Colonel's once more. I shook his hand, and when he released, we said our goodbyes, and Colonel Anderson left the lounge.

Now relieved of an old duty, I sat back down next to Samus. She was looking at me a bit curiously, and began to speak as my eyes met hers.

"What was the salute for?"

"In the military, it is customary and respectful for N.C.O.s (non-commissioned officers) and other low ranking men and women to salute officers. Retirees do not have to salute soldiers, though many have become quite fond of those that have taken their place. As for myself, I only saluted because that man had earned my respect years ago."

"Huh?"

"Remember that story he told about me hitting him back in the military? Well by the time that had happened, word had spread about two of my... adventures. I had become as cold and bitter as a rock, and although I became pretty quite and un-talkative, Emilia Langsted, a close friend of mine during the time, seemed to be the only one who could get me to talk."

I paused for a moment, remembering Emilia. Samus had already seen the only photo I have of her, yet even with that picture, I still find it hard to imagine her in my mind anymore.

"Anyway, about a week before I was sent out to destroy a base for the third time, Major Anderson came onto the ship, fresh from the academy. Although briefed about me by the Colonel himself, he still seemed determined to get some respect out of me. I was walking down one of the many halls one day, Emilia to my right, when the Colonel and Major Anderson came by. At the time, I was cussing and swearing about how I was supposed to take out another base single handedly. Emilia noticed the two of them coming and saluted, but I merely glanced at the two and continued to walk by."

"And let me guess, he bothers you, you hit him, Emilia stops you from killing him."

"Something like that, but not in that order. The Colonel knows who I am, so he isn't too worried about my… disrespect. He saluted Emilia, and continues on his way. Emilia then catches up with me and starts ragging on me like my mother, say things like "you know you should have saluted the colonel and the new major" and what not. Shortly after, Major Anderson comes up to me and starts asking me questions, wondering why I didn't salute or anything. I just tell him that the Colonel and I are on good terms and that he should just leave me alone. Major Anderson gets so annoyed, he starts reading regulations off the top of his head, and tells me the punishment I can get just for insulting him. Emilia, knowing how I would get, grabs my arm and says "just stay cool, and say I'm sorry.""

"What do you do?"

"I say "Screw that, I'm punching the dumbass." And just as I said, I punch the guy in the face. I don't hit him hard enough to break a jaw or nose, but he got a slight bruise, and fell to his ass. After that, I stand over him, pick him up by the shoulder, and dust off his left shoulder, which picked up a bit of dirt."

"Huh?"

"Major Anderson says the same thing. After I dust him off, I say "You, Major Anderson, are the only dumb fuck to cross my path, piss me off, and get me to punch him in the face. Not only that, you took the punch like a man. So, you now have my respect. I won't salute you, but if another shit head gives him a hard time, send him to me.""

"You're kidding?"

"No. I'm pretty sure Major Anderson was feeling pretty weird, considering what I had just said. Without another word, he walked away to where the Colonel was waiting, and then headed to the bridge. After that, we only spoke a few times, and he eventually left the ship as a Lieutenant Colonel. Of course, while he was on the ship, he sent at least a dozen trouble makers to me, just as I told him."

"Whoa… So you actually knew our client."

"Small universe, huh. Anyway, on to a different subject."


	11. Cassandra's Old Fogy

Okay, so I lied a little. But technically I didn't, but whatev. I present all the fan dudes and dudeettes another chapter OF... Whatever I call this FF. I don't remember, and I don't feel like doing my research.

Fan's be warned, this chp is a little lengthy. I don't how I wrote it, but I'm sure the action scene is a little on the dull side. However, I made Samus have a funny, so might work for ya.

Well, read, weep, and enjoy.

Sincerely:Michael (Zaith Falken) Lugaro

* * *

"Something the matter, Michael?"

"Huh?"

"Michael, you were day dreaming again."

"Was not!"

Carefully, I rested the arm weights down onto the floor, and then wiped my brow. Surprisingly, I was dryer them a sun burnt rock. Deciding that maybe I should try another go at writing for the day, I made my way out of the gym and into the cockpit. I sat down, tapped the screen of the digital pad I had been doing my writing on, and tried to continue.

'… Now clear of mind and objective, I made my way to the hilltop, where the large oak tree stood up against the clear sky. As I made it to the roots of the tree, I could find the beautiful maiden Samu-."

"Not again."

"Don't tell me that you wro-"

"Don't say it, Cassandra."

Cassandra fell silent, leaving my mind to wonder. Trying to shake off the name, I continued to write, hopefully in a more creative way.

'… Maiden Alexis, resting peacefully beside the tree. Her beautiful blo… brown hair waved in air, magnifying her beauty. I called out for her, joy coming to me as I heard her voice.'

"Hmm… what should she say?"

* * *

"Oh, Michael," she said, somewhat startled. "What a pleasant surprise."

"I told you earlier that I wanted a word with you, Alexis."

"You did, didn't you?"

Carefully I sat down beside Alexis, as I had dreamt many times. Yet no matter how similar these dreams were to reality, there was no comparison to the Alexis who sat I sat next to at this moment.

"Isn't the sky beautiful, Michael?"

"Yes it is. Though I must admit, I find you far more beautiful then any sky."

"Must you always attempt to garner my affection? You know I do not feel the same as you do."

"I cannot help myself. Every time my eyes rest upon you, I only feel more compelled to try and woo you."

"Well stop! I cannot be affectionate to anyone, especially you of all people."

"Why me?"

"Did you forget who I am?"

"Pardon. My mind plays tricks on me at times, Alexis. You are the seal of the dragons, and thus cannot act as normal women."

"Correct."

There was silence between us, our eyes upon the others. I felt a low lust begin to grow inside me, and felt compelled to lean closer. I managed to keep my wants and instincts to myself, however.

Alexis turned her gaze back to the blue sky, which had slowly began to creep with a light gray. Surely rain was to come from the clouds, and Alexis would have to return to her room before the night.

"It would seem that our time is up, Michael."

As she said this, she looked down at her belly, and then carefully wrapped her arm around herself.

"What do you mean?"

"Do you know what the seal truly does, Michael?"

"I cannot say I do. Most people do not, as the king has not allowed the education to proceed."

"I did not think so. Michael, give me your hand."

"What? Why?"

"Just give me you hand."

"Very well, here."

I raised my hand before her, and with the grace of an angel, she took it by the wrist and placed it by her stomach. I was confused, but feeling somewhat compelled by curiosity, I rest my palm on her.

What soon came to mind shocked me. I felt something strange touch my hand from underneath her skin. I had felt the kick of a child before, however this was different. It was as if something was trying to claw out of her, though with little success.

"What is this?"

"The seal does not truly stop the dragons from return. We instead give birth to the dragons, or rather, the ruler of all dragons, the Marquis."

"You mean to say that you are pregnant with a dragon, Samu-"

* * *

"Dammit!"

"You did it again, didn't you?"

"Shut up, Cassandra!"

"Look, maybe you should just call Samus and ask her to diner sometime."

"And what makes you think that Samus would want to go out with some old fogy like me?"

"Hey you never know until yo-…"

Suddenly, Cassandra became silent, leaving the unsavory sound of the engines in my ear. Feeling annoyed by Cassandra's comment, I began to speak, trying to impose my demands on her.

"What was that, Cassandra? You, a computer, are trying to tell me how to handle getting romantic with someone? Sorry, but I'm pretty sure that I've had more experience with people then yo-"

"We've got bogies behind us."

"What!"

"Four ships are currently in our direction. Missiles detected, taking evasive action."

I felt a gentle jerk, causing me to move a little in my seat. Through the cockpit class, I could see a photon charge zipping by to the right of the ship.

"Gees. Cassandra, who are they, bounty hunters?"

"Yes and no. Three of the ships are Space Pirates, the other is Samus Aran's. The four seem to be in a battle, and they're heading this way fast."

"Samus!"

'Sweet!' I thought to myself. 'Now I can finally see her again. Maybe I should a-"

"What am I thinking! Cassandra, give me the manual controls."

"What! I know you like Samus and all, but shouldn't we let her handle this? It's not our problem."

"Just give me the controls!"

"Whatever."

The joystick, throttle, and yaw controls all rose from the floor, and with several quick moves, I whipped the ship around and jetted from the battle. I pushed the throttle to about seventy, which would certainly get me there much quickly.

"Samus is taking fire," said Cassandra with another update.

"Shit! I'm almost there Samus, hang on!"

"Three hundred kilometers."

"Two hundred Kilometers."

"Samus is taking fire. One of her thrusters is down."

"Tell me something good, Cassandra!"

"One Space Pirate ship down."

"One hundred Kilometers."

"Weapons now in range."

"Thank god!"

After listening to her ranting of distance, I switched to multiple target missiles and fired. The Space Pirates seemed to have noticed me and managed to dodge my fire. However, this distraction allowed me to turn this into an intergalactic dog fight, as I was now behind one of them.

"Samus is haili-"

"Patch her through!"

"I'm on it."

A screen buzzed to my right, but it was out of the way, and my peripheral vision was not bother by the message. With the Space Pirate before me, I pulled my trigger finger, launching a quick volley of tritanium steel at my prey. The shots all blasted through the space pirate's thrusters, causing a number of internal ricochets, leading to an explosive blast from the engine. The pirate had no time to eject, and roasted in his cockpit, all while I went on to the next one.

"Micha.. l, wha… ou doi… ere?"

"Samus you're breaking up!" I said, maneuvering the ship so as to catch up to the attacking pirate.

"Micha…"

"Signal lost."

"What! What happened?"

"Samus' engines are shot, and her engine is providing only enough energy for shields. However, with the Space Pirate constantly raiding her ship, it'll only be about a minuet before Samus' ship is destroyed.

"Shit! Am I in range for heat seekers?"

"Of course!"

"Good."

After a quick glance around, I found the pirate, and with no time to spare, I readjusted the ship, switched from multi-target to heat seeker missiles, and then pulled the trigger. Afterwards, I went right on his tail as he tried to avoid the seeker missile, which he barely did. The pirate seemed to be trying to get at Samus, as he kept turning around to try and fire. However, I managed to launch another heat seeker into his thruster, causing an immediate explosion.

Now relieved of the Space Pirates, I quickly made my way to Samus' ship. The thrusters her ship had were either dim or missing, as the battle had certainly left Samus' ship worse for wear.

"Cassandra, patch me through to Samus."

"That's a no go. Her communication systems are down, and her ship is currently running on reserves."

"Just great… Can you hack into the ship so that we can board?"

"Considering the status of her ship, no. You would have to manually open it."

"Damn."

'Think, Michael, think.'

I sat in frustration, trying to find a way to get Samus out of her ship. I couldn't risk leaving her there, as her ship would probably run out of oxygen soon.

"I've got it."

"What are you planning?" asked a startled Cassandra.

"Get me close to her cockpit. I'm gonna break it open, then bring Samus over here."

"Are you crazy! You could end up killing her. Space is a vacuum, remember!"

"And if she's wearing her Varia suit, it shouldn't be a problem. Now get over there now."

In a rush, I made my way downstairs where I entered the boarding room. Quickly, I put on my large spaced suit, and then stepped into the decompression chamber. Inside, I hit the blue button that shut the door, and the decompression followed automatically.

An outside door opened after the room was decompressed, and a rope with a carabineer slowly fell from the ceiling. Attaching the carabineer to my suit, I began to draw as much rope as I could, as I would need it to get back to the ship.

Now with a length of rope in my hand, I gripped the outside panels of my ship and slowly made my way to Samus' ship. I wished I could go faster, but I was in space and my shoes were not magnetic.

After about a minuet of struggling, I made it to the top, where Cassandra had positioned Samus' ship in comparison to our own. Letting go of the rope, I hopped onto her glass of Samus' ship, where I found Samus looking back. I placed my hands onto the glass, and Samus did the same, just under mine.

"Cassandra, she's wearing the suit. Patch me through to her, but disable the visual."

"Roger that.

I heard a buzzing in the helmet, but it quickly passed. I heard nothing, so I decided that maybe I should talk.

"Samus?" I said, curious to find an answer.

"Michael," Samus replied, a smile clearly in her eyes.

"Sweet, I got through," I said cheerfully. "Are you okay?"

"I'm alright, but my ship…"

"Yeah, you're ship is really messed up," I said bluntly. "Is there any chance you could open the decompression chamber from the inside?"

"No, the powers shot," Samus replied. "Only power I have is in reserves, and there practically nothing left."

"I see… Well, looks like we'll just have to break the glass."

"I suppose your right. I don't any other way to get out."

"Alright. Just stand back and-"

"Maybe I should do this," Samus said.

"What!" I said, somewhat baffled. Why?"

"Simple. Your suit is one of those cheap synthetic ones, where as mine as plenty of armor, so it would make more sense to break it with my armor."

"Good point," I said. "Okay, I stand off to the side, and you can break the glass."

"Okay."

Carefully, I walked back off to the side of the ship, yet remained in sight of Samus' cockpit. With a quickly yell, I could see and hear Samus punching the glass. Cracks started to form after three punches, and the forth punch shattered the glass completely.

"Looks like you've been busy for the last ten months," I said, astonished at her strength. I could only venture to say that the suit probably gave her most of her power.

Samus then walked out of her ship, where she was soon sucked to the floor magnetically. She then walked over to me, and then rested her weight on one hip when she stopped before me. At the moment, her height was three feet more then my own, though it was only due to the suit, for sure.

"And I see that you're still a nice guy and an old fogy."

"Hey, just because I'm an old fogy doesn't mean you're allowed to rub it in my face."

* * *

If you didn't get the fogy joke, then you might want to reread one of the older chapters... I think it was chapter three but don't hold me to it. Anyway onto the good stuff. I'll be working on this for a bit, so I'l hnave the real ending (and booty scene) some ahead. Plus, you can expect a Parasite eve FF later, which had too much research on it (mostly clothes guns and GOOGLE EARTH) Well, thats it for the postal note

SINcerely: "the same guy from above" aka the author aka a total and complete loser.

ok getting to into the sincerely bit.


	12. A&F

Alright, I finally got this thing up! Took me a bit to get my file on the web, the site wouldn't take it for some reason.

Well anywho, I'm posting another CHAPTER! SWEET! Also, I'm taking out Good Grab Bag 'cuz it isn't really a chapter, just a notice. This chap is a chapter though, and four pages of word it be. Kinda tired after writing, but I had to do some research on ABERCROMBIE. Pain in my ass (I'm allowed to wite it, this is a M section after all).

Well, I had a WHOLE LOT OF FRIGGIN CLICKS cuz of the last chap. It's almost disturbing, more views then my orginal story. Please people,. keep it that way. Theres a good reason why (IT SUCKS!).

Well, here's the stuff you've been waiting for. TA DAH!

* * *

"Why the change from black?" Samus asked as we waited for the manager to return. 

"I'm allowed to change my colors."

My comment was followed by an eyebrow rise, signaling Samus' doubt in my statement.

"Besides, Levi's are still making the most comfortable jeans."

"Is that it?"

"Well, yeah. I mean besides the faded blue color, these boot cut jeans just fit right."

"And the jacket?"

"It goes with the pants."

"You do know these give you no protection on your missions, right?"

"Of course. But at least I don't freeze in the cold."

"Uh huh."

Just then, the manager, a green elf-like humanoid known by the name of Qube stepped into the room. Qube, a mere five foot three, was about as beefy as the strongest human, maybe more, and certainly had a knack for computers, as said the COMPU-scanner on hi right ear.

"Alright, I'm done checking it out."

"Really?" said Samus. "So, what am I looking at?"

"Four hundred and eighty three thousand creds."

"Holy shit!" I said. "You're kidding, right?"

"No," responded Qube. "That ship is far more advanced then we normally handle. Thing needs a new engine, a number of thrusters, plenty of shell piece replacements, and plenty of tech re-wiring and replacement. Plus, it costs a lot to get those kinds of parts, plus it's gonna take about a month and a half for the parts to get here, so the ships gonna be in storage for quite a while, and since the little lady wants under lock and key unless being worked on."

"Still, a ship of that size shouldn't c-"

"Don't worry, Michael. This is normal."

"Normal!"

"Exactly," said Samus calmly.

"Well, sense this is a big price tag, I don't expect you to be able to pay up right now. Feel free to wander planet side, because you'll be here a while, unless the federation asks for you."

"What happened to free roaming independence?" I asked.

"Simple. There's been a strange twist of murders, mainly of important members of the Galactic Senate. So the Federation was called in and they are currently investigating. Thus, no one gets to leave until they are confirmed through."

"If the federation we here, then where were they when we pulled in earlier?" asked Samus.

"They were probably using a cloaking device," I said. "It's big these days."

"Well, if that's all, I'll be on my way. I've got several ships to handle right now, and I don't have all day."

"Wait, what about a contract?" asked Samus.

"Just talk to my secretary before you leave. She'll help you out."

"Alright." I said, standing up from my seat.

"Thank you," said Samus.

"No problem," replied Qube.

Qube left the room through the door he had entered through, leaving us to empty our pockets to his secretary. Samus stood up, and then we both left the room. I held the door open for Samus, and she walked out calmly, as if this was nothing but a simple bit of life.

"I see Qube has finished speaking with you," said the secretary as we walked out. I hadn't even the time to recognize that she was in the room when she spoke.

She, the secretary, was a tall, slender Quelkian. Quelkian's are by nature tall, usually between six one and six eleven, as well as a standard tint of deep blue. Also, small streaks of orange lines came from her nose, giving the impression of a cat face. Her hair, an exuberant shade of orange, seemed to match gracefully with the orange of her face, and her eyes.

"Yes, we have," said Samus.

"Well, as he had said, he doesn't expect you to pay immediately," said the Quelkian. It didn't surprise me to hear her say that, as Quelkian's often had excellent hearing. "Unless you wish to pay now, of course."

"Yes, I'll pay now," Samus said, heading over to the Quelkian's desk. Looking over her desk quickly, I noticed a name plate engraved with the word "Fresk". I didn't take the name into much consideration, yet I was sure I would be seeing Fresk again, so it was worth remembering.

Samus walked over to Fresk's desk, then quickly began to write through a number of form she was given. Seeing no need to watch, I turned around and looked through a glass window before me. The orange sun could be seen clearly through the unpolluted sky, a beautiful sunset replacing it. A few white clouds could be seen in the distance, a hue of orange from the sun upon them.

Underneath the sun, the ocean waves could easily be seen, basking in the sunlight. A lone metallic platform, connected by a large rail, floated in waves. A number of orange birds flew towards the sun, apparently to the platform. These birds resembled the pigeons from earth, though their wings were slightly longer then their earth cousins.

"Michael, let's go."

"Right, right."

'Talk about nice guy.' I thought to myself.

We were taking a walk down Letricia's market street, which was certainly stocked with the exotic wares found at many beach style resorts. Letricia, being a island along the equator of planet Bevdeen, has clearly been turned into a beach side resort, full of heat, sun, and salty sea air.

At the moment, it was around nine o'clock, and the sun had already faded from view, leaving the blue and purple night sky above, along with the yellow and white street lights. Michael and I had been walking for a while now, yet the most of the talk between us was only a few short lived words. Finding the silence between us unbearable, I tried once again to start up a conversation.

"Is something wrong, Michael? It feels like something is bugging you."

"Wha!" said a suddenly startled Michael. Shaking his head quickly, he came back down to earth and started speaking. "No, no, nothing at all."

"You sure? You've been acting strange since we got here."

"Yeah. It's probably just the salt air."

Just then, I spotted a clothing store by the name of Abercrombie and Fitch. The store sported a number different clothing styles, range mostly of bright, beachy colors, all on jump suits, shirts of various sizes, and even jeans similar to Michael's faded blue jeans.

"Michael, look!"

"Well isn't that unique," he said, somewhat surprised. "Don't find one of these everyday."

"Let's see what's inside!"

"Sure, alright."

I led Michael inside, as we soon assaulted by easy going earth rock music. There were about four people inside, two of which were dressed in polo shirts and shorts that came from inside the store. One of the two, a blonde earthling, noticed our arrival and walked over to use.

"How can I help you two?" she said cheerfully.

"Oh, we're just browsing," I said calmly, holding tight to Michael's arm.

"Well, if you need anything, I'll be at the counter."

After the quick chat, the girl went back to the counter, where a hunk of an orange tanned Yulteen waited for her.

"Where should we start looking?" I said, trying to get Michael to say something.

"Why is it your so interested in this stuff?"

"Well, there's clothes here, and since your wearing jeans and a jacket, you might be a little warm. So I thought maybe you might want to get some other cloths."

"Actually, I'm fine."

"Oh… well, then… I guess…"

'Oh, he's gonna think I'm an idiot.'

"Hmm…"

"Huh?" I said, somewhat confused by the quiet grumble.

"Oh, it's nothing. I was just looking at the rack of shirts over by the wall," Michael said.

"You mean those dressy shirts by the mannequin?"

"Yeah. I don't normally where shirts like those, but they don't look too bad."

Michael and I walked over there, and soon he was rummaging through the shirts, raising them in the air as if trying to decide which looked like a better bargain. Eventually, he came into this childish frenzy of asking which shirt looked better on him, and I just said they all looked fine. However there were a few that just didn't look like they belonged, as they were striped like the others.

After about twenty minuets of grabbing shirt, we walked over to the pants section, where Michael rested about twelve shirts over his shoulder and started to search through the pants as well. Another twenty minuets later, I led Michael's over burdened self into one of the changing stalls, where I could here he being to pull his clothes off.

"I'm going to look for clothes, okay Michael?" I said.

"Alright," he replied from inside the stall.

"Ha ha! I've got just right!" I said excitedly.

Now robed in a "Dark Brown Grasse River" button up shirt and "Khaki Woodsfall Cargo" pants, along with my original "Brown Workhorse Caterpillar" boots, I had a feeling I was looking sexy… for a forty nine year old. Stepping out of the stall, I found Samus at the counter buying a number of clothes. She was also decked out in new clothes, ditching the blue jump suit for what I read to be a "White Sophie" skirt and an "Olive Angela" polo shirt, as said the tags on the items. She also wore some flip flops labeled "White Solid Rubber."

"Well hello sexy!" I said.

"Michael," said Samus, blushing lightly.

Placing my clothing onto the counter next to Samus', I pulled out my credit card and handed it to the young lady from before. As she quickly rang up the price, I spied a watch underneath the glass cases the clothes laid on.

"Hey Samus, do you see that watch right there?" I said, pointing at it.

"You mean the one with the leather strap?"

"No, no. The casual steel watch with the blue face. It's three to the left of the one with the strap."

"Oh, that one. What about it?"

"You think that would look good on me?"

It took moment for her to register the question, but after about thirty seconds, Samus spoke.

"Yeah, I think so."

"Young lady, can you grab that watch for me?"

"Sure. Which ones?"

"It's three to the right of the one with the strap. Your right."

"Okay."

Quickly, the girl grabbed the watch, and then handed it to me. I put it on, and was surprised to find that it fit just right. Not too loose, and not too tight.

"I'd like this too… and those sunglasses."

"Which ones?" said the girl.

"Those weird looking black ones. Their kinda blocky, next to those bright blue ones."

"Oh," said the girl, looking behind her to find the glasses rack. She found the glasses I was looking for and handed them to me. I red the tag, and found that they were Oakley "Canteen" sunglasses. I put them on, and found them oh so comfortable.

"I like 'em."

"I'm sure you do."

* * *

SWEET, you finished reading. Well, if you didn't notice, I know nothing about ABERCROMBIE and FITCH. Reason being, I don't wear it. Simple. Thus I did research and grabbed clothes that I thought might look cool. Chances are, Samus and Michael Actually look like complete idiots, but then again, I don't give a hoot. I mean, video game characters are allowed to wear whatever, and it looks cool on them, but cosplayers allways look retarded. YEt I know why. They are using the wrong friggin materials. I mean that guy that wore a SILK sweater for the CLOUD suit from FF7, WTF you were thinking! His sweater should be a machine production knit from either cotton or wool, with a dark purple tint.

Well, enough of the ranting. You're probably going like, "OMG, I need sleep." So party on with the sleep, theres only 24 hours in the day, and we all need to pass out sometime. Speaking of which, I'm gonna do that soon. So until I write another chapter, peace oot.

OH YEAH, PS: The next chapter is gonna be like WHOA on the part of MICHAEL. it's gonna be like the FLASHBACK type episode, but I don't know yet, I aint write it yet. Oh, and I will probably stop writing in SAMUS' view, cuz there will be a booty scene, and I don't know how I'm gonna do that one in SAMUS' view. I mean, that would be like... Whoa for me, cuz, like, I'm a dude.

anway sorry for that. NIGHT!


	13. Ferris Wheel

Well, here be numbah 13. ABOUT TIME, i mean it took me all day to write this one. Plus re-reading it was a pain, which is why for today only you will find each segment marked. Thats right, I got confused reading my own stuff. Well, I'm pretty sure I won't have any more flash back junkages for a while, so the next chapter sho0uld be straight up MIKE in the present.

I hope you enjoy this part, cuz I'm done with the commentary. Later.

* * *

Mike>

"Can you excuse me for a moment?" said Samus as she stood up. "I need to use the rest room."

"Alright," I said, not stopping her. She went away in search of a rest room, and my emotions suddenly came back into my head. I leaned back into my chair, and then rested my milk shake onto the table before me.

'Why did this have to be the closest planet?' I thought.

I looked over to the horizon, imagining the sunset from that night. My eyes envisioned the orange sun, the care free clouds, and a dull pain came to my chest. This pain was followed by a swelling of tears in my eye, though I forced them not to show themselves to the world.

* * *

Mike: Past>

"Michael, have you ever had ice cream before!" said Emilia, somewhat annoyed.

"I have."

"Well…"

"…"

I kept silent, as I did not care for the stuff. Wishing for a fight to break out, I began to look around, waiting for one to happen.

"Michael!"

"Fine, alright… I'll have chocolate milk shake, if that'll make you happy."

The Pandeenian (Panda People) behind the counter quickly began to make the milk shake and ice cream we had requested for, and soon handed them to us. I paid for them, and then was led by Emilia to a table.

Emilia quickly dove into her ice cream, the multiple flavors apparently intriguing her sense of taste to no end. I simply sucked on my straw, seeing as I had nothing better to do at the time.

"This is soooo good!"

"…"

Noticing that I didn't say anything to her words, Emilia raised her eyes at me. We looked at each other, and then she simply went back to her ice cream.

"I really don't see why you wanted to bring me along, Emilia," I said. "I would have been fine on the ship."

"I brought you with me," said Emilia, just after a quick gulp of ice cream, "because you need to loosen up a little."

"I do not," I said apprehensively.

"Yes you do!" said Emilia, now very annoyed. "You're always in those fighter ships, or doing those crazy missions of yours! And if you aren't doing those, then you're working out in your room alone!"

"So what? Why's it important to you?"

"Because you don't do anything else! And plus, you're always being a dick to all the crew!"

"Well that's just tough."

"You know, you really piss me o-"

* * *

Mike: Present>

"Michael?"

"Huh?" I said, startled by the voice. Finding it to be Samus, I relaxed a little. "Oh, sorry. I see you're back"

"Yeah. You ready?"

"Ready? For what?" I asked, somewhat confused by Samus' statement.

"The Ferris Wheel, silly. Come on!"

Samus pulled me out of my chair and began tugging me to the Ferris. It was as if she was trying to run as fast as she could, and she was dragging me along with her. Her blonde hair waved in the air like dozens of silk ribbons, somehow reminding me of…

* * *

Mike: Past>

"Emilia, stop trying to pull my arm off!"

"What, are you afraid of heights, Michael?" She said playfully.

"Of course not, you idiot! I just don't want to go on this stupid Ferris Wheel!"

"Well that's too bad. You're going on this ride whether you like it o-"

* * *

Mike: Present>

"Michael!"

"Huh?"

"Come on, step inside."

"Okay."

Carefully, I stepped inside the cabin, and then shut the door behind me. There weren't too many people waiting to get on, so there wasn't a problem with seats. Carefully, I sat down next to Samus, who was busy looking out over the horizon.

"Nice few," I said, trying to get my mind off of Emilia.

"I know. Too bad the suns down already."

Suddenly feeling a strange need to yawn, I stretched my legs and arms out, opening my mouth for the nuisance roar. I took a long deep breath, and then shook my head to try and stop yawning.

"What was that?" Samus said jokingly.

"Sorry, just felt weird," I said apologetically.

"Tired, huh?"

"No, not really."

"Well, if you are, we can always go back to the ship."

"No, no, I'm fine. Really."

"Well, alright," said Samus, a tone of melancholy in her voice.

Carefully, and apparently out of the blue, Samus rested her head onto my shoulder. A little startled by this, I cautiously rested my right hand onto her shoulder, holding her to my chest.

"You don't mind, do you?"

"No, not at all. You just caught me off guard."

Just then, the Ferris wheel began to move, jerking the two of us forward. The wheel soon stopped, allowing the next group of people to board.

"It's really peaceful here," Samus said, squirming a little to get comfortable.

"I suppose."

"You suppose?" Samus said, raising her head to look me in the eye.

"Well, yeah."

"What do you mean?"

"You know how I was in the Federation during the war twenty years ago, right?"

"Yeah, I remember," said Samus. "What about it?"

"Well, about a year before the war ended, we were given a week's time for leave. And it was right here on this planet."

"Wow, so you've been here before?"

"Yep. Well, I didn't want to go because I wanted to fight the Belkan's rather then waste my time relaxing. Well, Emilia, the girl in the photo you found, she dragged me out of the ship and we ended up coming onto this Ferris wheel too."

"What?" said Samus, pushing off my chest to get a better view into my eyes. My hand moved a little, and now rested on her back.

"Yeah. Well, we had ice cream first, and then she dragged a reluctant me onto the Ferris Wheel, where we talked and…"

* * *

Samus>

"And… what?" I said, trying to get Michael to continue.

"Well, this was where I got my first kiss."

"What! No!"

I couldn't believe what I was hearing. Michael, a younger version of the stud he was today, got his first kiss with Emilia here. Remembering what she looked like from the photo on his night stand, I really found that hard to believe.

"Yes. That's what happened," He said, leaning back in his seat. "Well, I was kinda stunned, but soon I got sucked in, and we were making out for like a good minuet or two."

"Really! You must have enjoyed yourself."

I could feel the red coming to my face. I was certainly a bit embarrassed to talk about this, but I was curious. I wanted to know.

"Well, yeah. Afterwards, we rushed back to the ship, and then into my quarters, and… well."

"Wait… you two didn't…"

"Well, almost. We got naked, did the whole fondle each other thing… But sex didn't happen. The commander knocked on my door, and we had to change REAL quick."

"So did you two ever… you know."

"No, we didn't do it. We almost did about three times… Almost mind you."

"I bet you were horny."

"Not usually. Just sometime we got a little wrapped up in the whole affection thing that we got a little carried away."

"So if you two were so lovy dovy, why didn't you two hook up after the war?"

Just then, Michael began to scratch his head, taking in several deep breaths. From the look on his faced, it looked like this subject was very touchy.

"Well… About three months after leave, we were in the Terra Omega quadrant, looking for enemy vessels. Nearby was the planet Plebes, where a secret Belkan base was built. We were attacked by the base, and soon a number of enemy Warships came and began to fight the ship. The commander had me go on a solo mission to take out the base, all the while the ship had to fight three Warships by itself. I must say, out Mech soldiers knew what they were doin' back then."

"So what happened? I know you lived because you're right here. But what about everyone else?"

"Well, Emila oversaw the Mech launch rooms, and made sure that all the orders given by Major Anderson and the Commander. Well, the other Warships managed to get a number of hits on our ship, one of which was aimed at the Mech Launch room Emilia was in at the time. She got a lot of major injuries, and only lived because I managed to rig the anti-space-craft guns to fire on the other warships."

"Oh my! How was she?"

I was starting to think this was a bad idea to ask, Michael had stopped looking me in the eye by now, and his hair covered all of his face. I could only imagine how he felt.

"Well, when I got aboard the ship, I learned of what happened to Emilia but one of the crew members, Sergeant McCoy. Well, I ran to sick bay as fast as I could, and I made it to Emilia just in time. But she soon passed away… leaving me all alone."

"That… That's horrible."

"There was a space funeral held for every member that died. After the funeral, I almost went AWOL and left on a fighter ship, but Major Anderson convinced me otherwise."

* * *

Mike>

'What am I doing? Stop it. Stop crying!'

After all of these years, I still couldn't help it. I tried to stop the tears, but I refused to wipe my face. My hands had become fists and we clenched just above my legs. It was a good thing my hair was fairly long, as it helped cover my face from Samus. I didn't want her of all people to see me like this.

"Yet, all I wanted to do was go somewhere with a lot of Belkan's and kill 'em all. They killed her, out of all the people in the ship! Why! Just because it was war! Just because of some stupid war, they had to kill my family on Gerood, and then kill the only person I had left!"

I could hear my fist digging into the leather like material of the seat, my anger manifesting itself once again. Tear had not only formed, but had quickly left trails down my cheeks. I felt horrible like this, a memory of a torment long past still haunting me today. I loved Emilia, but I had to let go. I need to let go.

"Michael," said a disheartened Samus'. "You're crying."

"She meant everything to me. She was the last shining hope I had, and they took her from me! I certainly swore vengeance those days, and waited for the day I could tear a Belkan limb from limb again."

"Michael, stop."

I fell silent, feeling no need to continue. I spilled my guts, and now I was tired of talking. My throat was sore, yet my tear burned like acid.

"You loved her, didn't you?" Samus asked, leaning towards me just a little. I nodded in response, but I would not dare talk.

"Do you still love her?" she asked.

I nodded. For some odd reason, I had a feeling Samus was going to touch me, so I quickly began to wipe my tears away. The acid had stopped hurting, and only the salt air remained. I was sure my eyes were still red from crying, but that would pass.

"And what about me?" she asked. While she spoke, Samus raised her hand, and pulled my hair out of the way, like a shower curtain. Turning to face her once more, I could see the mixture of sadness, curiosity, and fear in her eye.

"I..."

'No, there's no turning back. It's now or never."

I shook my head, and the answer was clear. Like a moment I had been afraid of, time seemed to move slowly. Yet I took time away, leaving only Samus and myself. I leaned, she held her ground, and we moved our lips together.


	14. WHOA!

NGER!DANGER!DANGER!DANGER!DANGER!DANGER!DANGER!DANGER!DANGER!DANGER!DANGER!DANGER!DANGER!DANGER!DA

This chapter contains nudity and SEX! Lots of it! Hell, thats all thats in this bleeding chapter... and some cuddleing... and kisses... but mostly sex.

This is not for the kiddies, got it? No go away, cuz I don't want to get arrested for insipring little dudes and dudettes to do it, 'cuz thats not cool.

Now for the adults in the readers section, feel free to take off the pants and skirts and PARTY! (And you know what I mean when I say PARTY!)

R!DANGER!DANGER!DANGER!DANGER!DANGER!DANGER!DANGER!DANGER!DANGER!DANGER!DANGER!DANGER!DANGER!DANGE

* * *

We broke away, only to breathe in yet again. Our lust has the two of us enraptured by our passionate kisses, only stalling to enrich our lungs with salt air. Somehow a saddened event at the Ferris wheel turned into a romantic evening, though I wasn't complaining. 

We engaged in another dose of kissing, and certainly took it a bit further. Not only was there lips and tongues, but as Samus scratched at my chest, I reached for her luscious breast, squeezing gently. Our air supply began to deplete, and we broke away once more.

Suddenly during another pleasant kiss, Samus pushed away, forcing me to stop.

"M-maybe we should go inside." Said Samus, her breathing heavy.

"Yeah, your right. Cassandra."

The bay door opened up, allowing Samus and I to enter the hull easily. Still kissing between steps, I only managed to get the two of us up the stairs into the living quarters. I could hear the bay door close as I practically carried Samus upstairs, however the kissing was more important then a door.

Stubbing my left heel on a chair, I looked down towards my feet. Seeing the floor not only made me realize my position, but remember the bags attached to wrist. Throwing the clothes aside, I returned to an excited Samus.

Samus leaned forward, kissing me yet again. However my legs were stopped by the sofa, so we fell backwards into a sitting position. She now lay on top of me, her feminine body in between my legs, her breasts against my chest.

Feeling increasingly horny, I wrapped my arms around her waist, pulling her body even closer then before. Samus seemed to enjoy the bodily closeness, as she slowly started to move up and down, grinding her body against mine. My hardy member grew larger to her touch, and Samus responded by moving faster and harder.

I couldn't help but groan with pleasure, using what little breath I had from our passionate kissing. And feeling like I might be having all the fun, I decided to have some more and raid her breasts once more.

"You naughty boy," Samus said jokingly. She then rose from her knees and sat down on my lap, our groins touching one another. I placed my hands on her hips, and Samus placed hers on my chest and began to rock forward. The pressure between us only made me feel more erect, forcing me to put more pressure on Samus' hips. Noticing my erection against her, Samus moved faster, feeding my lust.

"Ooh," I groaned, enjoying the tension rising in my member. In an act of lust, I positioned my hands on her breasts once more, giving each a pleasant squeeze. Rotation, squeeze, rotate, pinch, squeeze, repeat, shuffle. My thoughts were reduced to one word phrases, but the affection between us only grew.

Then, as if seizing the moment to experiment, Samus stopped her movement and rose from my body. I couldn't help but vocalize my displeasure at this, but soon my appetite for lust was soon to be quenched. Samus, instead of simply stopping her raid on my body, had gone to spear head the attack by going for my member.

Samus' first wave of attack started slow, as she had to un-do my belt, then un-button and unzip the pants themselves. She then had to pull my pants and briefs, leaving only my not so hairy genitalia.

After removing my clothing from the waist down, Samus took a firm yet gentle grip of my artillery piece, and slowly began to pound away. Her touch, though not the most experienced, certainly made me feel hot. Samus slowly then progressed from level one to level two, adding a number of licks at the tip, which excited me to no end.

Samus soon showed her ever growing bravery, as she went from licking to sucking in spurts. Her experience points were certainly growing, as she had started with a number of touches from her teeth, but soon graduated to using her tongue and her lips. I could feel pressure begin to materialize in my member, and tried to keep it down for as long as possible, as I was certainly enjoying myself.

As my pleasure increased, I gripped at the chair, trying to stop myself from exploding. Yet Samus' skills seemed to be far more then I could handle, forcing me to give in. I placed my hands onto the back of her head, and by applying some pressure, gave myself greater satisfaction. Soon, I leaned forward, and my release was made known to Samus. As I came in her mouth, I could practically hear her swallowing each load.

Round one had been dispersed, and I leaned back against the sofa, my member losing its girth for the time being. Samus allowed my leave her mouth, and I could see some white splooge on the corner of her lips. Samus wiped it away with the tip of her index finger, and then liked it away.

"Salty," Samus said in enjoyment. She then rose from her knees once more, then sat back down on my lap. "Why don't we get to the real festivities?"

Understanding clearly what she meant, I decided to playfully tease her. I leaned forward and initiated another kiss. The "salty' flavor Samus talked about was no where to be found in her mouth, though my intentions soon found Samus out of breath. I placed my right hand on Samus' personal area and pressed a finger where her special orifice was located. Samus' reaction was not surprising; a new sensation came to her like a shock from a weak stun gun.

"Oh!" Samus said to the welcome stimulation. Her eyes went lazy, as she wanted more of the feeling. I pressed again, making Samus feel quite.

"Okay, if you two are gonna do i-"

"Shut up, Cassandra. Go to mute."

Cassandra's interruption was destroyed by my instructions, and soon, I went back to Samus.

"Come on, babe. Let's take this to the bedroom."

"I like the sound of that."

I picked Samus up, my arms at her knees and back, and then carried her into my room. The door shut automatically, leaving me to tend to Samus. I laid her down onto the bed gently, and then quickly sprang on top of her before she could squirm.

"Michael!" Samus said exuberantly.

I kissed her passionately, but soon left Samus with a want for more. However I gave her what she wanted in a different way, as I trailed kisses down her neck and collar bone.

Finding her clothes in the way, I removed Samus' shirt and bra, throwing them to the floor. Afterwards, I continued to kiss her skin, making my way to her left breast. Taking her fairly hard nipple in my mouth, I gave her tender skin a gentle suck. However, I suppose I did not suck hard enough, as I was not given any of the mother's milk.

Having given Samus a little more sexual pleasure, I continued the kisses southward across her firm abdomen. Coming across her skirt, I un-did the button, then slid her skirt and panties off of her, throwing them aside as I did with her shirt. Moving farther southward then Samus had expected, I began to leave gentle kisses along her legs, taking turns on each one. Starting from her knees, I left at least two dozen kisses until reaching the holy grail of women's private parts. I left a single kiss just above her vagina. Afterwards, I moved back northwards, I was once again face to face with my love.

"Are you ready?" I said quietly.

"Yeah," she said silently.

Maneuvering my erecting penis to her area, I placed my hands by Samus' shoulders and readied myself. I then carefully pulled in, but felt Samus tense up as I did.

"Are you alright?" I asked, seeing Samus squirm beneath me. She nodded in response, but her eyes were closed, as if in fear. "Just try to relax. It'll feel better soon."

Carefully, I thrust myself inside of her, and began my steady motions. Samus moved her lips as if in pain, but kept her silence. She dug her nails into my back, but soon, she began to get into the motions.

"Feeling better," I said heavily, considering my situation. Samus nodded again, her face bobbing up in down in my vision. I continued to thrust my cock inside of her, and the sound of pleasurable moans soon escaped her lips.

Placing my weight onto my left hand, I placed my right hand under Samus' neck and pulled her head towards mine. I initiated another passionate kiss but I could not maintain it as I was busy working another body part.

Samus seemed to be going crazy from the immeasurable pleasure she was feeling, as she shook her head madly after the kiss, and her hands gripped at the bed forcefully. With my right hand still free, I began to add to her pleasure, seeing as I gripped her left breast and began to grope her steadily and rhythmically.

Once again, I could feel myself coming to an explosive climax. MY heart was racing, yet I could still listening to Samus' moans, it was clear that she was close. The sweat had already begun to accumulate across her body, dampening both her hair and my bed. Feeling myself growing closer, I thrust harder, causing Samus' moans to become even louder.

"Michael!"

"Samus!"

Soon, I could feel Samus' orgasm, her sudden energetic shockwaves spreading through her body and spreading to my member insider her. Her pleasure caused me to come as well, a number of thrusts ending our pleasure. I tensed, she tensed, and my white goo shot into her like cannon fire.

Feeling weak from my orgasm, I fell on top of Samus, my penis falling from her vagina. Our hearts slowed, and breathing lessoned. The roomed seemed a bit steamy, yet the warmth inside felt good around me, as did the warmth and beauty beneath me.

"Samus…"

"…Michael."

"I love you," I said, a strange phrase to my ears. It was certainly a phrase I hadn't heard in a long time. Yet it felt good to say it. It had a nice ring to it.

"I love you too," Samus said.

I kissed her again, the fire between us still burning strong. Afterwards, I lied next to her, then wrapped my arms around her and pulled her close. I would nothing harm her, so long as I drew breath. She was my love, my only. Samus returned the favor, resting her head in my chest.

Suddenly, then room became quite cold, as the heat from us had died down. Samus noticed as well, and she started to shiver a little.

"Maybe we should go under the covers," I said.

"Y-yeah. I don't wanna freeze to death."

I rolled off of the bed and stood up, then picked Samus up in both of my arms. Once in the air, Samus tossed the covers up so the sheets could be seen. I laid Samus back down onto the bed, and then lied back down next to her once more. Afterwards I gripped the covers and pulled them over us, hiding us from the cold.

The tow of us began to cuddle once more when I remembered one very important thing.

"Cassandra, you can talk if you really need to," I said aloud.

"Thank god!" Cassandra said, practically shouting through the speakers. I couldn't help but laugh a little. "You know, you two are fr-"

"You don't need to say that," I said.

"… Fine," Cassandra said, annoyance in her voice.

Picking up from where Samus and I left off, I wrapped my arms around her, and she did the same, placing her head once again in my chest. With a sense of wholeness, I found it especially easy to fall asleep, though it seemed even easier for Samus, as she fell asleep before I did. I couldn't help but mentally compliment her beauty before I fell to slumber.

* * *

Oh yeah, I forgot one thing this ENTIRE story. 

I don't own this story, so NINTENDO/RETRO STUDIOS... DONT SUE ME, PLEASE! I'm SORRY, but it was in my head, and I'm a writer type o' guy, y'know!

Ok, well now that thats done, one last bit. THIS IT IT! NO MAS! This is the last chapter of Bounty Hunters Reward (or whatever I called this story). I mean it, cuz it's just tooo much to write this (especially the BOOTY scene. I mean WHOA!). I hope you guys enjoyed it, cuz I really had a blast (I MEAN WHOA!). I'll be working on a Parasite Eve one, so expect to see that one soon.

Well, LATER!

* * *

SWEET! 

I MEAN WHOA!

OKAY FOR ANYONE READING THIS, THIS IS AN UPDATE TO WAHTS ALREADY HERE. NOTHING REALLY IMPORTANT, I JUST WANTED TO SAY THANKS CUZ THIS STORY HAVE OVER 1400 HITS. ITS CRAZY, CUZ THE CLOSEST OF THE OTHER STORIES I HAVE ARE ONLY LIKE 70 OR 80 HITS. SO REALLY ENJOY THE WHOA SCENE AND THANKS FOR READING.

AND LASTLY, PLEASE REVIEW CUZ I ONLY HAVE LIKE 5... I THINK. PLEASE, I WANNA KNOW. CUZ IF ITS JUST THE SEX, THEN I BETTER START USING IT IN LIKE EVERY CHAPTER I WRITE FROM NOW ON.

O YEAH I ALMOST FORGOT. I HOPE YOU GUYS AND GALS ALL KNEW WHAT I MEANT AT THE TOP ABOUT PARTY, CUZ I KINDA MEANT ENJOY IT EVEN IF THAT MEANS MASTION! SERIOUSLY, ENJOY IT, i CANT SEE AND STAINS OF YOUR THROUGH THE MONITOR, CUZ I DONT HAVE SPY VISION OR SMELLO VISION BUILT INTO THE COMPUTER (THANK GOD)...

OK THIS IS A BIT MUCH. LATER ZF.


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